Over 450 rural families were included in a 6-year study that followed families over time designed to study adolescent development in the midst of the crisis in agriculture. One of the most important findings from this ongoing study is that economic stress affects children because it disrupts parenting, which in turn is related to problematic outcomes for youth. As we all know, financial stress increases depression for both husbands and wives. This depression leads to worsened marital relationships, often due to conflicts between parents, or between parents and children, about money. When conflict increases and marriage relationships suffer, the quality of parenting is dramatically depressed.
Parents are at risk for becoming less involved, nurturing, and less consistent in discipline.
Ultimately, it is this family climate that puts adolescents at risk for a variety of negative outcomes, including irritability, academic difficulty, and delinquency. So, while not all children will experience negative outcomes when their families face economic stress, many do, and the negative results can be traced to weakened parenting of struggling couples. We also know that when families are under great economic pressure, outcomes are different for teenage boys and girls. Because mothers may often turn to employment away from home when finances are strained, girls may experience increased responsibilities around the house. As a result, girls may gain social maturity and independence at younger ages, but may also have pessimistic attitudes about their future career opportunities.