Exploring the Mediating Effect of Mental Health on the Relationship between Economic Abuse and Economic Hardship

Background and Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes physical, sexual, psychological, and economic forms of coercive control in an intimate relationship.  Economic abuse (EA) limits a survivor’s ability to gain independence from an abusive partner and therefore limits their economic potential. Recent research has demonstrated the role of EA tactics in hampering the economic security of survivors, however the pathways through which these effects travel are less known. Given the critical role of economic security in long-term safety for survivors of IPV, this study seeks to  understand the role of mental health symptomology (PTSD and depression) in the relationship between economic abuse and experiences of economic hardship.

Methods: Data were collected from a simple random sample of 435 women attending four community colleges in a single metropolitan area. Participants were included if they were at least 18 years of age and had been in an intimate relationship in the last year.

Participants were predominately Caucasian (58.1%) and African American, (27.4%). Their mean age was 27.1 years, and 49% were currently caring for children. Participants were invited to complete an online survey which included demographic measures and validated scales assessing economic abuse, economic hardship, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression symptomology.  Conditional process analyses were employed to evaluate the relationship between EA, depression symptomology, PTSD symptomology, and experiences of economic hardship, while controlling for key covariates including individual income and employment.

 

Results: Results demonstrated that mental health symptomology partially mediates the relationship between economic abuse and economic hardship experiences. The relationship between economic abuse and PTSD symptomology was statistically significant (b=16.02, t=7.0, p<.05), as was the relationship between PTSD symptomology and squared economic hardship (b=.02, t=4.60, p<.05). The direct effect of economic abuse on squared economic hardship remained significant in the mediation model after the addition of the mediation effect of  PTSD symptomology  (b=.53, t=3.60, p<.05).  A partially mediated relationship between emotional abuse, PTSD symptomology, and economic hardship was identified, with  PTSD symptomology accounting for approximately 30% of the total effect (Pm=.29).

The relationship between economic abuse and depression symptomology was statistically significant (b=3.92, t=6.15, p<.05), as was the relationship between depression symptomology and squared economic hardship (b=.04, t=3.94, p<.05). The direct effect of economic abuse on squared economic hardship remained significant in the full model when the mediational effect of depression was included (b=.54, t=3.7, p<.05) . Depression symptomology accounted for approximately 25% of the total effect Pm=.24.

Conclusions and Implications: The results of this study reveal that experiences of economic abuse increases a survivor’s risk of economic hardship.  The direct effect of EA accounts for more of the relationship with economic hardship than the indirect effect through mental health symptoms, suggesting that mental health intervention should be paired with direct economic advocacy and assistance in order to support survivor’s long term economic independence and safety.