University Honors

According to the book Social Emergency Medicine, about “70% of adults living in the U.S.are experiencing or are at risk of financial insecurity”, meaning most adults are not financiallyprepared for any unforeseen expenses. Financial stress has become a normal responsibilitythroughout life for most individuals, however, an increasing number of individuals have becomeso stressed due to their finances that it has impacted their well-being negatively. I study thepsychological effects on individuals when it comes to financial stress because I want to find outhow financial uncertainty affects individuals not only mentally but also physically. By studyingand finding potential causes, we can bring attention to this persisting issue and help thoseindividuals financially struggling. I use scholarly research papers and the General Social Survey,which is a website that collects high-quality data from adults throughout the U.S. of different areasand topics that impact our society, to find any known financial stressors and relationships ofincome and health. This project shows how different financial stressors can cause negativeconsequences to an individual’s well-being and how we can use these findings to potentiallyalleviate financial stress for many. In my findings, I have seen evidence that supports myhypothesis of the negative relationship between financial stress and overall health. Therelationships I found show, for example, a negative correlation in the amount of bad mental healthdays and opinion of family income & a positive correlation in satisfaction with financial situationand average real income.