Leverett-Ptak, Chelsea R.
(2024)
The Role of Objective and Subjective Economic Circumstances on Caregiver Stress and Depression.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Caregivers in the United States are experiencing increased levels of economic disadvantage, as well as rising rates of mental health problems (Pew, 2017; Wolicki et al., 2021). While extensive research has examined the influence of objective economic circumstances, such as annual income, on caregivers and their families, recent work has begun to include more nuanced aspects of objective economic circumstances, such as monthly income volatility (Shields-Zeeman & Smit, 2022; Adeline et al., 2019; Prause, Dooley, & Huh, 2009). Researchers additionally advocate for the inclusion of subjective economic circumstances, such as subjective social status (SSS), which can account for perceptions of economic circumstances and is often predictive of mental health above and beyond objective measures (Adler et al., 2000). Still, despite caregivers playing a pivotal role on family dynamics and child outcomes, there is limited research simultaneously examining the relationship of these objective and subjective economic circumstances with caregiver mental health. The current study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between a range of objective and subjective economic circumstances and caregiver stress and depression. Using mixed effects models, we found both annual income and monthly income volatility were predictive of caregiver stress, while only annual income was predictive of caregiver depression. SSS was additionally found to predict both caregiver stress and depression. These findings suggest the importance of examining multiple dimensions of economic circumstances that can capture intra-year economic circumstances, as well as perceptions of economic circumstances. With increased understanding of caregiver’s economic circumstances, targeted interventions can be created to support caregivers with low annual income, volatile monthly income, and low SSS in order to improve mental health outcomes.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Leverett-Ptak, Chelsea R. | cpr28@pitt.edu | cpr28 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
16 April 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
2 July 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
57 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
parents; mental health; stress; depression |
| Date Deposited: |
27 Aug 2024 13:35 |
| Last Modified: |
27 Aug 2024 13:35 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46649 |
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