Collateral Damage? How Household Debt Impacts Child Health and Development
| dc.contributor.advisor | Kimbro, Rachel T | en_US |
| dc.creator | Brewer, Mackenzie | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-05-17T15:29:51Z | en_US |
| dc.date.available | 2019-05-17T15:29:51Z | en_US |
| dc.date.created | 2018-05 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 2018-04-20 | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | May 2018 | en_US |
| dc.date.updated | 2019-05-17T15:29:52Z | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Debt has increased dramatically over the past few decades among American households. Specifically, unsecured debt, such as debt incurred from credit cards and medical bills, has increased across the socioeconomic spectrum and has risen most rapidly among lower socioeconomic status (SES) households. Yet, very little research has examined whether household indebtedness, as a dimension of SES, is associated with child well-being. To fill this gap, the current study examines whether household debt, by type and amount of debt, is an emerging form of economic stratification associated with children’s health and development. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the first empirical chapter examines the prevalence of unsecured debt and the profile of borrowers. Results indicate that although households across the socioeconomic spectrum have unsecured debt, the profile of borrowers depends on the specific type of debt accrued. Households with medical debt and higher debt burden are, on average, disadvantaged across a range of social and economic markers. The second empirical chapter uses data from the 2014 Child Development Supplement (CDS-2014) of the PSID and tests whether unsecured debt contributes to food insecurity among lower-income households with children. Medical debt, in particular, emerges as a significant risk factor for food insecurity, while no relationship exists between credit card debt and food insecurity. Moreover, although liquid assets buffer against the harmful effects of medical debt, few households have enough assets to attenuate the risks associated with unpaid medical bills. The third empirical chapter examines whether debt functions as a financial stressor that increases family conflict and children’s behavioral problems. While I find some evidence that debt is related to higher levels of family conflict and child behavior issues, the associations are relatively weak. More research is needed to establish the conditions under which debt influences family relationships and children’s socioemotional well-being. Overall, the findings suggest that debt is an important contributor to child health and development, although the nature of the relationship between debt and child well-being depends on the type of debt accrued, the specific outcome considered, and a household’s broader financial circumstances. | en_US |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Brewer, Mackenzie. "Collateral Damage? How Household Debt Impacts Child Health and Development." (2018) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105782">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105782</a>. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105782 | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Debt | en_US |
| dc.subject | Child health | en_US |
| dc.subject | Food insecurity | en_US |
| dc.subject | Family conflict | en_US |
| dc.subject | Behavior problems | en_US |
| dc.title | Collateral Damage? How Household Debt Impacts Child Health and Development | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.type.material | Text | en_US |
| thesis.degree.department | Sociology | en_US |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Social Sciences | en_US |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Rice University | en_US |
| thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | en_US |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en_US |
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