Income Volatility / Economic Losses
Measures of income volatility/economic losses capture the experience of a reduction of financial resources (e.g., income) or inconsistently receiving financial resources.
Measure
Source: Parke RD, Coltrane S, Duffy S, et al. Economic stress, parenting, and child adjustment in Mexican American and European American families. Child Development. 2004;75(6):1632-1656.
Psychometric properties:
Reports from mothers and fathers were correlated:
r = 0.32 (European American)
r = 0.52 (Mexican American)
During the last year, have you or your spouse:
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Changed jobs for a worse one | ||
| Experienced negative work changes (e.g., demotions) | ||
| Been laid off or dismissed | ||
| Had any other involuntary loss of work (e.g., reduction in hours) |
Measure
Source: Zemore SE, Mulia N, Jones-Webb RJ, et al. The 2008–2009 recession and alcohol outcomes: Differential exposure and vulnerability for Black and Latino populations. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2013;74(1):9-20.
Psychometric properties: “All items were associated with a seven-category measure of annual household income, supporting their validity (p values < .001).” (pg 11 in Zemore, et al, 2013)
Did you or anyone in your household:
| Never | Sometimes | Most times | Every month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lose a job | ||||
| Lose their housing (either owned or rented) | ||||
| Have their hours or pay reduced at work | ||||
| Have trouble paying the rent or mortgage |
Measure
Source: Prochnow JE, Defronzo JV. The impact of economic and parental characteristics on juvenile misconduct. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. 1997;5(2):119-124.
Psychometric properties: Not reported.
During the last few years, your financial situation has:
- Got better
- Stayed the same
- Got worse