Suchergebnisse

Using a survey of 200 low- to moderate-income households in Singapore, this study analyzes how changes in economic resources (in particular assets) are associated with family strains and family functioning. Key findings of this study are as follows: 1) a majority of the sample experienced reduced economic resources; 2) a reduction of savings increased family strain; 3) households experiencing decreases in savings have lower levels of family functioning measured by family social support and family cohesiveness. This article concludes with several implications for policy and practice.

The "hard times" resulting from the 2008 Great Recession represent an opportunity to re‐examine the theoretical framework for how families use economic resources to manage stress. M. Sherraden's (1991) theory of assets and H. I. McCubbin and J. Patterson's (1983) family adjustment and adaptation response model informed this study of how assets relate to family demands among 839 low‐income families. Structural equation modeling found that assets were directly related to a reduced sense of family demands and that assets were indirectly related to demands via economically stressful events. Findings suggest that social welfare policies that promote assets among low‐income families may positively influence family relations. Future family research would benefit from measuring assets as economic resources and testing how assets affect family functioning.