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This paper uses the European Living, Working and COVID-19 survey (Eurofound 2021) to examine the mechanism linking citizens' worsening financial hardship to lower satisfaction with democracy through the mediating role of government support and trust in institutions. We find that as households and firms have struggled to meet loan repayments to creditors, governments have intervened with social support measures that citizens have not judged to be adequate in terms of fairness, integrity, responsiveness and reliability. This has led to a decline in citizens' trust in institutions, exacerbating the impact of increased economic hardship on their satisfaction with democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In early 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread in the United States, many Twitter users called it the "Chinese virus," blaming racial outgroups for the pandemic. I collected tweets containing the "Chinese virus" derivatives posted from March to August 2020 by users within the United States and created a data set with 141,290 tweets published by 50,695 users. I calculated the ratio of users who supported the racist naming of COVID-19 per county and merged Twitter data with the county-level census. Multilevel regression models show that counties with higher COVID-19 mortality or infection rates have more support for the racist naming. Second, the mortality and infection rates effects are stronger in counties with faster minority growth. Moreover, it is mainly in poor counties that minority growth enlarges the effects of infection and mortality rates. These findings relate to the theories on disease-induced xenophobia and the debate between conflict and contact theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate the indirect costs of financial distress due to lost sales by exploiting real estate (RE) shocks and cross-supplier variation in RE assets and leverage. We show that for the same client buying from different suppliers, the client's purchases from distressed suppliers decline by an additional 13% following a drop in local RE prices. The effect is more pronounced in more competitive industries, manufacturing, durable goods, less-specific goods, and when the costs of switching suppliers are low. Our results suggest that clients reduce their exposure to suppliers in financial distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Economic distress and the relationship stability of remarried couples has been subject to some exploration, but less emphasis has been placed on how economic distress among remarried couples impacts other relationship domains, particularly sexual intimacy. Methods: Through the lens of multidimensional family development theory (MFDT), this study utilizes longitudinal data over a three-year period to examine the links between economic distress, couple engagement, relationship satisfaction, and perceptions of sexual intimacy among remarried couples (n = 1,161 couples; 97% White). Results: Through a dyadic structural equation model, results showed that wives' report of economic distress was directly related to their self-rejection of a partner's sexual advances. Findings also revealed gender differences in how both relationship satisfaction and couple engagement influenced one to accept or reject their partner's sexual advances, with couple engagement acting as a significant predictor for wives. Relationship satisfaction was also found to explain (i.e., mediate) the relation between economic distress and sexual intimacy, but only for husbands. Discussion: Implications for further research and interventions designed to strengthen the relationships of remarried couples dealing with economic distress and intimacy issues are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify why firms, specifically SMEs in the hospitality and tourism industry, downsized during the recent global economic distress caused by COVID-19. This study applied a quantitative methodology by distributing online questionnaires to SME owners and managers who operate in the tourism industry of the UAE. We analysed the collected data using structural equation modelling. A total of 320 questionnaires were analysed using the PLS-SEM analytic tool. Our findings revealed that the investigated constructs, namely financial sustainability, SMEs' innovativeness, and technology adoption predict the implementation of downsizing strategies during economic distress. However, financial sustainability failed to expedite SMEs' innovativeness and technology adoption during this period. Therefore, the findings of this study show the impacts of financial strength, technology adoption, and innovativeness on implementing downsizing strategies, and provide suggested recommendations in light of the observed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The label "deaths of despair" for rising US mortality related to drugs/alcohol/suicide seems to implicate emotional distress as the cause. However, a Durkheimian approach would argue that underlying structural factors shape individuals' behavior and emotions. Despite a growing literature on deaths of despair, no study has directly compared the effects of distress and structural factors on deaths of despair versus other causes of mortality. Using data from the Midlife in the United States study with approximately 26 years of mortality follow-up, we evaluated whether psychological or economic distress, employment status, and social integration were more strongly associated with drug/alcohol/suicide mortality than with other causes. Cox hazard models, adjusted for potential confounders, showed little evidence that psychological or economic distress were more strongly associated with mortality related to drugs/alcohol/suicide than mortality from other causes. While distress measures were modestly, but significantly associated with these deaths, the associations were similar in magnitude for many other types of mortality. In contrast, detachment from the labor force and lower social integration were both strongly associated with drug/alcohol/suicide mortality, more than for many other types of mortality. Differences in the estimated percentage dying of despair between age 25 and 65 were larger for employment status (2.0% for individuals who were neither employed nor retired versus only 0.6% for currently employed) and for social integration (1.9% for low versus 0.7% for high integration) than for negative affect (1.2% for high versus 0.8% for no negative affect). Most of the association between distress and drug/alcohol/suicide mortality appeared to result from confounding with structural factors and with pre-existing health conditions that may influence both the perception of distress and mortality risk. While deaths of despair result from self-destructive behavior, our results suggest that structural factors may be more important determinants than subjective distress. • Psychological and economic distress were modestly linked with deaths of despair. • Those measures had associations of similar magnitude with other types of mortality. • Employment and social integration were strongly associated with deaths of despair. • In the US, those associations were stronger than for many other types of mortality. • Structural factors may be more important determinants than subjective distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionEconomic distress and the relationship stability of remarried couples has been subject to some exploration, but less emphasis has been placed on how economic distress among remarried couples impacts other relationship domains, particularly sexual intimacy.MethodsThrough the lens of multidimensional family development theory (MFDT), this study utilizes longitudinal data over a three-year period to examine the links between economic distress, couple engagement, relationship satisfaction, and perceptions of sexual intimacy among remarried couples (n = 1,161 couples; 97% White).ResultsThrough a dyadic structural equation model, results showed that wives’ report of economic distress was directly related to their self-rejection of a partner’s sexual advances. Findings also revealed gender differences in how both relationship satisfaction and couple engagement influenced one to accept or reject their partner’s sexual advances, with couple engagement acting as a significant predictor for wives. Relationship satisfaction was also found to explain (i.e., mediate) the relation between economic distress and sexual intimacy, but only for husbands.DiscussionImplications for further research and interventions designed to strengthen the relationships of remarried couples dealing with economic distress and intimacy issues are offered.

Populism has been a major political phenomenon in liberal democracies throughout the last decade. Focusing on economic distress as one of the basic triggers of populism, we proposed a model integrating individual‐level indices of economic distress and status‐based identity threat (i.e., frustration of identity motives) as predictors of populism. We conducted two survey studies operationalizing populism as an individual‐level thin ideology among members of the general French population (Study 1: N = 458; Study 2: N = 1,050). Structural equation models supported status‐based identity threat as a partial mediator in the links between indices of relative deprivation and populism (Study 1). Additional analyses revealed frustrated belonging (i.e., feelings of social exclusion) as the central identity motive in this pattern. Reproducing the same model with belonging frustration instead of global‐identity motive frustration gave similar results (Studies 1 and 2). These findings provide the first evidence implicating identity threat—and belonging threat in particular—in the development of populist thin ideology and showed how identity motives are related to the economic distress pattern that predicts populism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how firms hedge in financial distress. Using hand‐collected data from oil and gas producers, we find that these firms hedge oil prices during periods of financial distress. Derivative portfolios in these firms are characterized by short put options. These positions are part of a composite three‐way (3W) collar strategy that combines buying put options and selling put and call options with differing strike prices. Because liquidity demand varies with the degree of financial distress, the 3W collar strategy preserves incentives for future growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We sought to understand challenges and positive experiences of low‐income families during the pandemic. Background: Strength‐based perspectives of economically disadvantaged mothers are missing from literature on the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Although it is imperative to recognize disparities that were highlighted by the pandemic, strengths‐based approaches and a resilience framework can help professionals build upon and learn from ways families manage during those times. Method: We used a mixed‐method approach to gain understanding of the unique experiences of 15 low‐income mothers at the height of the pandemic. We administered a brief COVID‐19 stress screener, the Five‐Minute Speech Sample measure, and an open‐ended question about potential positive experiences during the pandemic. Results: We learned that strength and resilience supersede the liabilities brought on by COVID‐19 that are so often focused on. We found highly divergent experiences across mothers in terms of stress; even mothers with high levels of stress readily identified positive aspects of life during the pandemic. Mothers' responses were indicative of greater feelings of warmth and tenderness than negativity about their children. Conclusion and Implications: We discuss findings in terms of strengths‐based practices and policies for mothers receiving public assistance and provide suggestions for continued research on resilience of mothers during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated that resentful emotions toward the politics and perceptions of being culturally and economically threatened by immigration increase support for populist parties in some European countries, and that macro-level economic conditions engender those perceptions and emotions and increase populist support. This article reveals that household-level economic conditions also affect perceptions of cultural and economic threat by immigrants. Low- and middle-income populations are more vulnerable to suffer economic distress due to macro-level factors such as import shock, which can increase their resentment toward democracy, and their perceptions that immigration is a cultural and economic threat, therefore increasing the likelihood to vote for populist parties. A mediation analysis using the European Social Survey data from 2002 to 2018 provides evidence for the argument.

Background: Studies have suggested that economic distress is associated with behavioral health outcomes, while availability of cash reserves for emergencies is associated with a reduction in economic distress. The objective of this study was to assess the extent that the availability of emergency cash reserves modified the association between experience of economic distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and behavioral health outcomes in the general adult population of Thailand. Methods: We conducted a nationally-representative phone-based survey in late April 2021. Survey questions included questions on experience of economic distress, and a question on what participants would do to cover a 5,000 Thai Bahts (THB) emergency expense within one week, anxiety and depression screening questions, and questions regarding sleep, exercise, gambling, smoking, and drinking behaviors. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses with adjustment for complex survey designs, and stratified analyses with assessment of heterogeneity of odds ratios between strata and assessment of additive and multiplicative interactions. Results: A total of 1,555 individuals from 15 provinces participated in the survey (participation rate = 68.3%). Approximately 19.6% ± 1.0% of the participants reported that they would cover the 5,000 THB emergency expense only with cash or cash equivalent without resorting to other means. Experience of economic distress was associated with anxiety disorder after adjusting for covariables (Adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.47; 95% CI [1.45–4.19]). There was no evidence that availability of emergency cash reserves significantly modified the stated association, nor the association between experience of economic distress and other outcomes. However, with regard to anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and history of gambling in past 30 days, the p-for-trend values (p-for-trend < 0.001) suggested that those with emergency cash reserves had lower prevalence of these outcomes than those without emergency cash reserves. Conclusions: The study findings did not support our hypothesis that availability of emergency cash reserves modified the association between experience of economic distress and behavioral health outcomes. Nonetheless, the study findings can serve as potentially useful basic information for relevant stakeholders. Future studies should consider qualitative data collection and longitudinal study design in order to explore these associations at greater depths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Studies have suggested that economic distress is associated with behavioral health outcomes, while availability of cash reserves for emergencies is associated with a reduction in economic distress. The objective of this study was to assess the extent that the availability of emergency cash reserves modified the association between experience of economic distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and behavioral health outcomes in the general adult population of Thailand. Methods We conducted a nationally-representative phone-based survey in late April 2021. Survey questions included questions on experience of economic distress, and a question on what participants would do to cover a 5,000 Thai Bahts (THB) emergency expense within one week, anxiety and depression screening questions, and questions regarding sleep, exercise, gambling, smoking, and drinking behaviors. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses with adjustment for complex survey designs, and stratified analyses with assessment of heterogeneity of odds ratios between strata and assessment of additive and multiplicative interactions. Results A total of 1,555 individuals from 15 provinces participated in the survey (participation rate = 68.3%). Approximately 19.6% ± 1.0% of the participants reported that they would cover the 5,000 THB emergency expense only with cash or cash equivalent without resorting to other means. Experience of economic distress was associated with anxiety disorder after adjusting for covariables (Adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.47; 95% CI [1.45–4.19]). There was no evidence that availability of emergency cash reserves significantly modified the stated association, nor the association between experience of economic distress and other outcomes. However, with regard to anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and history of gambling in past 30 days, the p-for-trend values (p-for-trend < 0.001) suggested that those with emergency cash reserves had lower prevalence of these outcomes than those without emergency cash reserves. Conclusions The study findings did not support our hypothesis that availability of emergency cash reserves modified the association between experience of economic distress and behavioral health outcomes. Nonetheless, the study findings can serve as potentially useful basic information for relevant stakeholders. Future studies should consider qualitative data collection and longitudinal study design in order to explore these associations at greater depths.

This paper studies the effects of economic distress on support for radical right parties. Using Swedish election data, I show that one layoff notice among low-skilled native-born workers increases, on average, support for the Swedish radical right party the Sweden Democrats by 0.17–0.45 votes. The relationship between layoff notices and support for the Sweden Democrats is stronger in areas with a high share of low-skilled immigrants and in areas with a low share of high-skilled immigrants. These findings are in line with theories suggesting that economically distressed voters oppose immigration as they fear increased labor market competition. In addition, I use individual-level survey data to show that self-reported unemployment risk is positively associated with voting for the Sweden Democrats among low-skilled respondents while the opposite is true for high-skilled respondents, echoing the aggregate-level findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 global pandemic has had severe, unpredictable and synchronous impacts on all levels of perishable food supply chains (PFSC), across multiple sectors and spatial scales. Aquaculture plays a vital and rapidly expanding role in food security, in some cases overtaking wild caught fisheries in the production of high-quality animal protein in this PFSC. We performed a rapid global assessment to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related emerging control measures on the aquaculture supply chain. Socio-economic effects of the pandemic were analysed by surveying the perceptions of stakeholders, who were asked to describe potential supply-side disruption, vulnerabilities and resilience patterns along the production pipeline with four main supply chain components: a) hatchery, b) production/processing, c) distribution/logistics and d) market. We also assessed different farming strategies, comparing land- vs. sea-based systems; extensive vs. intensive methods; and with and without integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, IMTA. In addition to evaluating levels and sources of economic distress, interviewees were asked to identify mitigation solutions adopted at local / internal (i.e., farm-site) scales, and to express their preference on national / external scale mitigation measures among a set of a priori options. Survey responses identified the potential causes of disruption, ripple effects, sources of food insecurity, and socio-economic conflicts. They also pointed to various levels of mitigation strategies. The collated evidence represents a first baseline useful to address future disaster-driven responses, to reinforce the resilience of the sector and to facilitate the design reconstruction plans and mitigation measures, such as financial aid strategies. • Rapid global assessment of COVID-19 control measures effects. • Stakeholders perceptions survey on socio-economic effects of the pandemic. • Aquaculture supply chain: hatchery, production/processing, distribution, marketing. • Supply-side disruption, vulnerabilities and resilience patterns were highlighted. • Adopted and preferred mitigation solutions at internal and external scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated that resentful emotions toward the politics and perceptions of being culturally and economically threatened by immigration increase support for populist parties in some European countries, and that macro-level economic conditions engender those perceptions and emotions and increase populist support. This article reveals that household-level economic conditions also affect perceptions that immigrants represent a threat to a country's culture and economy. Low- and middle-income populations are more vulnerable to suffer economic distress due to macro-level factors such as import shock, which can increase their resentment toward democracy, and their perceptions that immigration is a cultural and economic threat, therefore increasing the likelihood to vote for populist parties. A mediation analysis using the European Social Survey data from 2002 to 2018 provides evidence for the argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populism is on the rise across liberal democracies. The sociopsychological underpinnings of this increasing endorsement of populist ideology should be uncovered. In an online cross-sectional survey study among adult samples from five countries (Chile, France, Italy, Romania, and the United Kingdom; N = 9,105), we aimed to replicate an economic distress pattern in which relative deprivation and identity threat are associated with populism. We further tested a cultural backlash pattern-including perceived anomie, collective narcissism, and identity threat as predictors of populism. Multigroup structural equation models supported both economic distress and cultural backlash paths as predictors of populist thin ideology endorsement. In both paths, identity threat to belonging played a significant role as partial mediator. Furthermore, an integrative model showed that the two patterns were not mutually exclusive. These findings emphasize the implication of identity threat to belonging as an explanatory mediator and demonstrate the cross-national generalizability of these patterns., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Efforts to reduce nosocomial spread of COVID-19 have resulted in unprecedented disruptions in clinical workflows and numerous unexpected stressors for imaging departments across the country. Our purpose was to more precisely evaluate these impacts on radiologists through a nationwide survey. A 43-item anonymous questionnaire was adapted from the AO Spine Foundation's survey and distributed to 1521 unique email addresses using REDCap™ (Research Electronic Data Capture). Additional invitations were sent out to American Society of Emergency Radiology (ASER) and Association of University Radiologists (AUR) members. Responses were collected over a period of 8 days. Descriptive analyses and multivariate modeling were performed using SAS v9.4 software. A total of 689 responses from radiologists across 44 different states met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. As many as 61% of respondents rated their level of anxiety with regard to COVID-19 to be a 7 out of 10 or greater, and higher scores were positively correlated the standardized number of COVID-19 cases in a respondent's state (RR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02–1.21, p = 0.01). Citing the stressor of "personal health" was a strong predictor of higher anxiety scores (RR 1.23; 95% CI: 1.13–1.34, p < 0.01). By contrast, participants who reported needing no coping methods were more likely to self-report lower anxiety scores (RR 0.4; 95% CI: 0.3–0.53, p < 0.01). COVID-19 has had a significant impact on radiologists across the nation. As these unique stressors continue to evolve, further attention must be paid to the ways in which we may continue to support radiologists working in drastically altered practice environments and in remote settings. • Citing the stressor of "personal health" was predictive of higher self-reported anxiety scores. • Individuals who responded with "no coping needed" were less likely to report high levels of anxiety. • Childcare assistance for healthcare workers remains an area of opportunity for institutional support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand how low‐income men's views of paternal responsibility shape their engagement with fatherhood program messages and services. Background: Research on the situated contexts of fathering has found that the social and symbolic dimensions of fathering spaces influence how men construct and enact fatherhood scripts. Qualitative studies of fatherhood programs have mostly investigated parenting education and job assistance programs, revealing how fathering interventions allow disadvantaged men to shape positive paternal identities. Method: In‐depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with a nonrandom sample of 64 primarily Black and Latino low‐income fathers who participated in a federally funded responsible fatherhood program. An inductive coding technique was used to identify reasons men enrolled, the alignment of program messages with fathers' views, and how the program allowed fathers to negotiate obstacles to sustained involvement. Results: Fathers overwhelmingly found the program valuable because it offered the social and economic means they needed to enact varied meanings of paternal responsibility—or "being there." Most fathers reported that the program allowed them to realize their involvement goals, thereby enabling them to better align their paternal identities and behaviors. Conclusion: Fatherhood programming that promotes a broader idea of paternal provision to include money and care aligns with how disadvantaged fathers tailor their understandings of paternal involvement to account for socioeconomic constraints, including poverty and racism. Implications: Fatherhood interventions can influence disadvantaged men's abilities to claim and enact responsible parent identities, but programs must address the importance of resources and opportunities, including and especially access to well‐paid work, for shaping paternal involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing obesity may have contributed to widening socioeconomic disparities in pain in the US, but some researchers have suggested that deteriorating social and economic conditions among less advantaged Americans could be the root cause. We evaluated whether widening socioeconomic disparities in pain are associated with growing economic distress, particularly among those with low socioeconomic status (SES). We also assessed whether the link between economic distress and pain is mediated by obesity. Using data from nationally-representative samples targeting Americans aged 25–74 in 1995-96 (N = 3034) and 2011–14 (N = 2598), we fit a structural equation model to estimate the contributions of economic distress and obesity to period changes in the SES disparity in different types of pain. Socioeconomic disparities in backaches and joint pain widened substantially over recent decades, although there was no significant widening for headaches. Economic distress accounted for 34% of SES widening for backaches and 41% for joint pain, but the effect was largely independent of obesity. There was little evidence that economic distress led to obesity, which in turn fueled a rise in pain. Obesity alone explained another 8% of the widening SES disparity in backaches and 17% for joint pain. Economic distress played a larger role than obesity because economic distress increased over time for those with low SES whereas it decreased slightly for those with high SES. In contrast, obesity grew at all levels of SES, albeit more for those with low SES. Unfortunately, we cannot establish the direction of causation. Our model assumes that economic distress and obesity affect pain, but it is also possible that pain exacerbates obesity and/or economic distress. If SES disparities in pain continue to widen, it bodes poorly for the overall well-being of the US population, labor productivity, and the prospects for these cohorts as they reach older ages. • Socioeconomic disparities in backaches and joint pain widened substantially. • There was no significant widening for headaches. • Growing disparities in pain may be related to increased economic distress. • Obesity may also contribute, to a lesser degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prevent emergency admissions and save medical costs, support should be provided to households that include people with complex care needs to allow them to continue living in their own homes. This community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted to (1) identify which departments that public health nurses (PHNs) worked have been the primary providers of support for households with complex care needs and (2) clarify the length of time required by each department to resolve primary health problems. We analyzed 148 households with complex care needs that were registered in City A from April 2018 to July 2019. Four types of departments were the primary support providers for complex care households: the department supporting persons with disabilities (n = 54, 36.5%), public/community health centers (n = 47, 31.8%), department of older adults (n = 29, 19.6%), and welfare offices (n = 18, 12.2%). The Mantel–Cox test showed that welfare offices mainly supported households in economic distress and needed significantly less time to resolve their primary health issues than other departments. For early detection and resolution of primary health problems for households with complex care needs, PHNs and healthcare professionals should focus on their economic distress and enhanced multidisciplinary approaches.

Objectives: We evaluate the extent to which subjective and objective measures of economic distress account for differences in substance abuse between the mid-1990s and early-2010s. Methods: We use cross-sectional survey data for national samples of Americans aged 25-74 in 1995-96 (N = 3034) and 2011-14 (N = 2598). Using a logit model, we regress dichotomous indicators of drug and alcohol abuse on economic distress. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, the odds of drug abuse in the early-2010s among older individuals (aged 50+) were 2.9 times (95%CI 1.9-4.2) those of the mid-1990s, but there was no statistically significant period difference in drug abuse among younger individuals. Measures of model performance demonstrate that subjective measures of economic distress are better predictors of drug abuse than objective measures. The subjective measures also account for a larger share (26%) of the increase in drug abuse at ages 50+ than the objective measures (6%). We cannot draw clear conclusions regarding alcohol abuse because results are sensitive to specification. Conclusions: The rise in drug abuse among midlife Americans may relate to perceived economic distress that is not captured by standard economic measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of parent training and professional development programs for improving early childhood experiences and later outcomes is well established. Yet traditional models of training and support, which largely consist of providing information to parents and teachers, have not met the needs of caregivers who experience the greatest levels of adversity. In this article, we describe the challenges faced by low‐income parents and nonparental caregivers, review traditional theoretical models used in parenting and professional development programs, and discuss a new approach focusing on building caregivers' self‐regulation and executive function skills. We review innovative program efforts focused on family goal setting, caregiver stress reduction, and reducing barriers that impede caregivers' core capabilities. Although there is still much to learn about these approaches, we conclude that addressing self‐regulation and executive function in caregivers is worthy of more theoretical and empirical study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood buildings are considered as a viable option to support the effort minimizing the current housing shortage in Sweden. Companies trying to develop into this industry are needed to increase the use of prefabricated wooden elements, volumes or modules in an industrialized way. Suitable companies to make this development could be found amongst firms producing wooden single-family houses. These companies currently act on a highly competitive market with many companies offering relatively homogeneous products or services. Therefore, differentiation towards the wooden multi-family house industry could be considered as a long-term strategy, minimizing the economic distress and improving the survival of the company. The study is aiming at describing the development of economic distress and market concentration ratio in the Swedish industry for wooden single-family houses, for an eleven-year period from 2005 to 2015. The companies could be helped to understand, if and how the market concentration ratio and the economic distress are connected, linking company size to economic stability and efficient resource utilization. This will be conducted by applying Altman's Z'-score model, grouping firms into a risk, a grey or a safe zone, combined with calculating the industry structure by means of the concentration ratio model. The required data were collected from the annual reports of the 51 relevant firms in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of military couples' (N = 219) financial management concerns on marital quality were investigated using an actor-partner interdependence model based on the family stress model. The influence of the mediating role of warm and hostile marital interactions was also investigated after accounting for multiple indicators of the military context, which are usually significant in the lives of military families. Individuals with higher levels of concern about financial management expressed less warmth and more hostility towards their partner. In turn, individuals exhibiting higher levels of warmth had spouses who reported greater marital quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Translational science, at its core, is about knowledge making a positive difference in the well‐being of others (Evans, 2012). This article explores how student attitudes, beliefs, and actions toward impoverished and working poor Americans were influenced by a data‐ and experience‐driven understanding of this population. The context is an undergraduate course called ADE 4930: Leadership and the Working Poor, a 3‐credit, service‐learning course requiring students to become Internal Revenue Service–certified tax preparers and provide 40 hours of free tax preparation assistance to the working poor. Students translated empirical evidence and data offered by ADE4930 through three primary applications: (a) behavioral guidance related to tax preparation and the Earned Income Tax Credit, (b) attitudinal shifts about poverty related to structural disadvantages and the psychological impact of scarcity, and (c) social policy sophistication related to political compromise and the complexity of personal experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is a systematic review of empirical literature from the last 35 years on families' responses to economic distress in the context of macroeconomic crises. Thirty-nine studies published between 1983 and 2015 in 12 countries were identified, resulting in 3 main findings. First, economic distress was associated with negative changes in family dynamics, specifically couple relationships and parenting. Second, protective factors were found to buffer the adverse effects of economic distress on family and individual outcomes. Third, the results suggest that individual responses to macroeconomic crises may be moderated by sex. Implications for future research encompass using validated assessment instruments, including participants beyond 2-parent families with adolescent children and conducting both longitudinal and qualitative studies that focus on the processes and meanings of adaptation within this risk context. Conclusions highlighted the need to assist families dealing with macroeconomic crises' demands, encouraging the development and validation of macrosystemic intervention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grants from foundations, while a relatively small but growing slice of overall philanthropic giving, are an important source of support for local community and economic development. The primary goals in this study were to examine why some metro areas attract more grant capital than others and determine whether the size of the area or its level of distress has any explanatory power. The density of nonprofit organizations and the presence of large, local foundations are shown to be consistently significant predictors of grant receipt. After controlling for these and other factors, analysis indicates that, compared with smaller metro areas, more populous ones receive a greater level of grant capital from the largest foundations. Contrary to expectations, the same is true for places with higher poverty rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obstruct housing shortage in Sweden, wood is considered as an alternative material for multi-family applications. Yet, more firms are needed to prefabricate wooden elements, volumes or modules in an industrialised way. These could be found amongst firms producing wooden single-family houses; however, they might suffer from economic distress, since their core market dropped by more than 60% in the aftermath of the economic crisis. This study investigates corporate economic distress from 2010 to 2013 of 52 Swedish firms producing wooden single-family houses. This, by applying Altman's Z'-score model, grouping firms into a risk, a grey or a safe zone. Results show that from 2010 to 2013, firms suffering from economic distress decreased from 11.1% to 3.8%. The two remaining firms in the risk zone most likely will face bankruptcy, if no radical action will be taken. Firms in the grey zone increased from 31.1% to 36.5%. The 19 firms in this zone are dependent on appropriate strategies to positively develop their business. Finally, firms in the safe zone increased from 57.8% to 59.7%. These firms are in good economic conditions and can be regarded as potential candidates for investing in a development towards multi-family applications. For the investigated time period, the average Z'-score improvement for the whole industry equals 38%, with a major upturn from 2012 to 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research consistently indicates that exposure to early family adversity is associated with compromised development in early childhood. Consequently, researchers, direct service workers, and policy makers have sought to understand and alleviate the multidimensional stressors faced by families during the prenatal and early childhood periods. Person-centered approaches are one method of understanding the interplay of risk factors. The present review synthesizes current person-centered research investigating social and economic risk factors during the prenatal and early childhood periods, and summarizes how person-centered approaches have advanced the understanding of early family risk and later child adaptive functioning. Results are discussed in the context of the family during early childhood development, with a discussion of clinical and prevention-based implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to identify the key factors that underpin the success of firms in conditions of economic distress. Such factors encompass astute management with the skill and experience in a variety of competitive moves and maneuvers; adoption of low-cost -low price strategies; more use of scenario planning rather than mere replication of past company actions; sufficient liquidity to exploit opportunities availed by economic downturn; and exploiting the advantages of knowledge management. Better incorporation of information technology, proper use of currency risk management methods, smart globalization that incorporates both government and non-government elements, favors the formation of joint ventures with local businessmen, and investment of ample time in the understanding the customs, values, and traditions of local societies elevate company’s com- petitive advantages over rivals which enhances the company’s capacity to deal with economic distress. It is incontrovertible, however, that the success of firms must be backed by strong and appropriate macroeconomic management by governments with respect to fiscal, monetary and trade policies.

The authors provide a review of the literature on U.S. central city growth and distress during the second half of the twentieth century. The literature reveals that city growth tended to be higher in metropolitan areas with favorable weather, higher growth, and greater human capital, whereas distress was strongly correlated with city-level manufacturing legacy. The article affirms that distress has been highly persistent but that some cities have achieved resurgence through a combination of strong leadership, collaboration across sectors and institutions, clear and broad-based strategies, and significant infrastructure investments. Finally, the article explores measurement issues by comparing two methodologies used to identify poorly performing central cities: comparisons across a comprehensive national cross-section of cities and comparisons within smaller samples of similar cities. It finds that these approaches have produced similar assessments of a city’s status, except in some cases where the city’s progress has been uneven across time or with respect to alternative criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• We propose a new corporate distress and recovery prediction score, the FL-Score. • The FL-Score is based on financial and economic components. • The FL-Score has predictive value regarding different types of distress. • The FL-Score identifies different risk profiles regarding the size of the firms. • The FL-Score is related to current and future economic value generation. This paper provides a new approach to developing a firm's distress and recovery prediction score. This score was designated the FL-Score and was structured from the interaction between financial and economic components. The tests were conducted from a sample of U.S. non-financial public firms from 2002 to 2019, using both more traditional statistical models, such as logit regressions, and machine learning techniques. The results show that the FL-Score is robust in predicting companies' distress and recovery, even for particular cases of distress, e.g., pure economic distress, pure financial distress, and mixed distress. Different profiles of failure risks were identified according to firm size, and an inverse relationship was also identified between the risks of distress, measured by the FL-Score, and the use of financial derivatives by the firm as a way to mitigate distress or accelerate recovery. The study also presents relevant considerations regarding using metrics related to the current and expected generation of economic value for the modeling of distress and recovery prediction scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic decline and racial tension have left indelible marks on Detroit and its region. Parallel tracks of recession and race exacerbate and have been exacerbated by Detroit’s political and governing culture and the long-term inability of its leadership to develop a stable governing regime. Over the past 60 years Detroit suffered significant losses of population, jobs and tax base, forcing the City to file for bankruptcy protection. The Detroit that emerges from bankruptcy and restructuring will be considerably different than the city in 2013, let alone what it was half a century ago. Detroit’s case is extreme but not unique. It provides a cautionary tale about race, severe economic distress and weak governing arrangements for other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines firm-level determinants of mature firm exits after economic distress. Using nested logit models and a sample of 6,118 distress-related exits in Belgium, we analyze the type of exit that distressed firms experience. We show that 41% of the firms in our sample exit through a court driven exit procedure (mainly bankruptcy), 44% are voluntarily liquidated and 14% are acquired, merged or split (hereafter M&A). Distressed firm exit follows two distinct stages. First, a firm either decides to exit voluntarily or is forced into bankruptcy, which is the least efficient exit strategy. Compared to bankruptcy, the probability of a voluntary exit increases with higher levels of cash, lower leverage, holding no secured debt and being embedded in a group. If a firm exits voluntarily, it enters a second stage and decides either to exit through voluntary liquidation or through a M&A. Conditional on not going bankrupt, the likelihood of voluntary liquidation compared to M&A increases with higher levels of cash or secured debt, with smaller size and with an absence of group relations. We contribute to the firm exit literature by jointly analyzing three exit types and showing that bankruptcy and voluntary liquidation are fundamentally different exit routes. While voluntary liquidation is an important exit route for distressed firms, most previous studies have failed to distinguish between bankruptcy and liquidation. We hence contribute to the exit literature by showing that bankruptcy, voluntary liquidation and M&A are fundamentally distinct exit routes for distressed firms, driven by different firm level characteristics and following a two-stage process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]