Table 1.
Categories of financial strain questions that were used in reviewed studies and exemplars of items used
| Category | Exemplars |
|---|---|
| Lacking basic needs 119 studies / 206 papers | For multiple-item measures: ‘In the past 12 months, how frequently were you unable to: 1. Buy the amount of food your family should have? 2. Buy the clothes you feel your family should have? 3. Pay your rent or mortgage? 4. Pay your monthly bills? (Bazargan et al., 2023) For single-item measures (Billioux et al., 2017): “How hard is it for you to pay for the very basics like food, housing, medical care, and heating?” |
| Difficulty making ends meet 132 studies / 176 papers |
For multiple item measures: “In general, how do your (family’s) finances usually work out at the end of the month - do you find that you usually end up with some money left over, just enough money to make ends meet or not enough money to make ends meet?” (Brown & Barrett, 2011) For single-item measures: “How difficult is it for you to pay your monthly bills?” (Slopen et al., 2012) |
| Coping strategies 23 studies / 41 papers | In the past 12 months, 1. did you receive free food or meals? 2. did you borrow money from friends or family to help pay bills? 3. did you move in with other people even for a little while because of financial problems? 4. did you stay at a shelter, in an abandoned building, an automobile or any other place not meant for regular housing even for one night? (Daundasekara et al., 2021) |
| Satisfaction 14 studies / 18 papers | “How satisfied you are with your present financial situation” (Rogers, 2019) |
| Stress/worry 22 studies / 30 papers | “How often do you worry about being able to meet normal monthly living expenses?” (Bassett et al., 2021) |
| Anticipatory financial strain 14 studies / 14 papers | “It would be hard for you to find the money to cover an unexpected expense, such as a medical bill or repair that was $500 or more.” (Banyard et al., 2017) |
| Lacking wants 29 studies / 30 papers | “Do you have enough money for the leisure activities you/your family want?” (Rios & Zautra, 2011) |