Browsing by Author "Santos, Francisco Garcia"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Evaluation of the Financial Threat Scale (FTS) in four european, non-student samplesPublication . Marjanovic, Zdravko; Greenglass, Esther R.; Fiksenbaum, Lisa; Witte, Hans De; Santos, Francisco Garcia; Buchwald, Petra; Peiró, José María; Mañas, Miguel A.The Financial Threat Scale (FTS) was designed to assess levels of fear, uncertainty, and preoccupation about the stability and security of one’s finances. In previous research with Canadian university students, it was shown that the FTS was a psychometrically sound measure, associated with failing personal financial conditions, threat-related personality characteristics, and depreciated psychological health. The present investigation further examines the FTS in a diverse set of non-student European samples. Data were collected in four countries using a self-report questionnaire which included measures of ones’ financial situation, personality, and psychological health. Results were highly similar to the findings of the previous study. The FTS is unidimensional, reliable, and its validity was supported by moderate statistical relations with variables such as job insecurity, self-esteem, and emotional exhaustion. Importantly, financial threat was higher in countries that fared poorly in the recent financial crisis than countries that fared well, and it mediated the relation between economic hardship and psychological well-being. Implications for researchers are discussed.
- Impact of economic hardship and financial threat on suicide ideation and confusionPublication . Fiksenbaum, Lisa; Marjanovic, Zdravko; Greenglass, Esther R.; Santos, Francisco GarciaThe present study tested the extent to which perceived economic hardship is associated with psychological distress (suicide ideation and confusion) after controlling for personal characteristics. It also explored whether perceived financial threat (i.e., fearful anxious-uncertainty about the stability and security of one's personal financial situation) mediates the relationship between economic hardship and psychological distress outcomes. The theoretical model was tested in a sample of Canadian students (n = 211) and was validated in a community sample of employed Portuguese adults (n = 161). In both samples, the fit of the model was good. Parameter estimates indicated that greater experience of economic hardship increased with financial threat, which in turn increased with levels of suicide ideation and confusion. We discuss the practical implications of these results, such as for programs aimed at alleviating the burden of financial hardship, in our concluding remarks.