Abstract

Consumer debt is a growing phenomenon in the US and throughout the world. The beginning of the 21st century has been defined by such an incredible growth in consumer debt that American families have increased their debt relative to personal income four times faster than in the 1990s. Since the Federal Reserve began measuring the amount of American consumer debt and consumer income in the 1980s, consumer debt never exceeded consumer income until 2004 when it reached 104.8% of income. In the last two decades, researchers have observed a significant correlation between debt and mental health. The purpose of this thesis is to examine a comprehensive sample of previous quantitative research conducted on the relationship between debt and mental health. This thesis discusses the research in the following categories: 1) increased debt as a contributor to decreased mental health; 2) decreased mental health as a contributor to increased debt; 3) high correlation between debt and mental health risks.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2013

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Abel, Eileen

Degree

Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Degree Program

Social Work

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Health and Public Affairs;Health and Public Affairs -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004407

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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Included in

Social Work Commons

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