THE EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC HARDSHIP ON FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN, LATINO, AND EURO-AMERICAN FAMILIES

The relations between economic hardship, coping. and family relationsh ips in African American, Latino, and Euro-American families were inves tigated using a multimethod design incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data-collection procedures. Survey data regarding the eff ects of economic hardship on individuals' lifestyles were collected fr om parents in the three ethnic groups. Simultaneously, focus group dis cussions with mothers from each of the ethnic groups examined the effe cts of economic hardship on different facets of their family relations hips. Results indicate that although then: were certain similarities i n the families' experiences of economic distress, there were significa nt differences in the overall pattern of relations among the three eth nic groups. The findings underscore the importance of considering ethn ic and cultural factors when investigating the effects of economic har dship on family functioning, as well as the utility of employing both qualitative and quantitative methods to further researchers' understan ding of the impact of economic conditions on families.