Family financial hardship and adolescent girls' adjustment: The role of maternal disclosure of financial concerns

The primary purpose of the present study was to assess whether maternal disclosure of financial concerns is related to difficulties in adolescent daughters' adjustment and whether such disclosure acts as a mediator in the relationship between family financial hardship and adolescent daughters' adjustment in a sample of 62 adolescent girls and their recently divorced mothers. Descriptive analyses revealed that the majority of participating mothers have disclosed their financial concerns to their adolescent daughters but vary with respect to the amount of detail they offer. Regression analyses revealed a positive direct relationship between family financial hardship and girls' psychological distress. In addition, family financial hardship was indirectly related to girls' psychological distress through maternal disclosure of financial concerns. Findings are discussed in terms of their relevance and significance for developmental psychologists, counselors, and parent educators.