title: Perceived financial difficulties and maladjustment outcomes in adolescence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies using traditional SES indicators in strictly adolescent populations have usually failed to find class differences in adolescent mental health. The present study aimed to find out whether there is an association between adolescent perceived financial difficulties of the family and adolescent maladjustment, and to explore the possible sex differences in this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  School-based survey on 3278 ninth grade students (15-16 years old) in two economically well developed Finnish cities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-fifth of the adolescents reported that their family had financial difficulties in the previous 12 months. Perceiving financial difficulties was significantly more common among girls than boys. Perceived financial difficulties were associated with known risk factors of poverty and with depression and harmful drinking patterns in both sexes. Adjusting for parental educational levels, parental unemployment and family structure did not change the significant association with maladjustment outcomes. Additional adjustment with comorbidity, however, levelled out the significance of the association of perceived financial difficulties and harmful drinking patterns in boys.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While adolescent perception of financial difficulties is probably associated with the objective financial situation of the family it may also be an indicator of the psychological meaning attached to the situation and should thus be considered a possible risk factor for adolescent maladjustment in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland. sari.frojd@uta.fi
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fröjd
authors.forename: Mauri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marttunen
authors.forename: Mirjami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pelkonen
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: von der Pahlen
authors.forename: Riittakerttu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaltiala-Heino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics*; D003863:Depression / Q000191:economics*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D016015:Logistic Models; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors