Linking the Trajectories of Family Unsecured Debt to Adolescent Depression

Hua Zan, University of Hawaii At Manoa

This study investigates the linkage between the trajectories of family unsecured debt (including credit card debt, student loan, medical debt, legal loan, family loan, and other debt) and adolescents’ mental health. Analyzing longitudinal U.S. data of 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics and 2019 Child Development Supplement, I first mapped out the trajectories of over-indebtedness (i.e., total unsecured debt-to-income ratio = 0.25) between 2013 and 2019 using group-based trajectory modeling and then used the group membership to predict the depression score of children aged 12-17 in 2019. I also conducted separate analyses by marital status of the reference person in the family. The results suggest distinct patterns of family over-indebtedness. Additionally, I identified a negative association between persistent over-indebtedness and adolescent depression in unmarried families, but not in married families.

Keywords: Health and Morbidity, Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Longitudinal studies , Linked data sets

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