**SEC17 WK:#4: the effects of economic hardships on families **

I am really touched by the topic of this contest post by Steem Kids & Parents. You said, "Families matter to us, and what they go through when the economy is harsh is what we want to talk about.

In this week's contest, "SEC-S17W4: The Effects of Economic Hardships on Families," I will tell you the story of a family whom I know personally under the contest topic:

I know a couple of families that are really under stress due to the high cost of living and low income, and this affects the family budget, especially the kids and other members of the family."

Source

The effects of economic hardships on families

Would you like to know about a 15-year-old girl who is the eldest of her siblings and lives in one of the suburbs of the NCR? She has struggled with depression and intense irritability since she was about 11 years old. She was doing well until the age of 11. But when her father's work gets affected by COVID, her mood starts deteriorating rapidly.

The father of that girl, Reema, has been without a job for the last 4 years. I have known them for a long time, but I came into close contact with them when I lost my job and was back in India during my layoff period. The difference is that he is younger than me, has four children, and has a lot of responsibility for the family.

When I last met him in early 2023, he said that his wife gives tuition to the children at home and teaches for 6–8 hours a day, and this helps his family manage their food to some extent. Her father is busy but gets some temporary work, so Reema, who studies at a nearby school, is extremely stressed and helps her mother by giving tuition to young kids. This family feels that if things continue like this, life is going to get more difficult. They will have to scale down their living standard further, and they are saddened by this admission.

Reema is so upset hearing about her family's circumstances that she often picks up something and throws it on the floor in her stressed condition. I know that a 15-year-old child can do that to express her anger and frustration by throwing things and behaving like a 6-7-year-old.

Reema is now doing worse in her class, her sleep patterns have become irregular, and she has stopped hanging out with her friends. Her father knows she needs a psychiatrist but can't afford an appointment with a doctor. This never happened to Reema's family, but everyone knows that when a family's financial situation changes significantly, you can't help what's going on.

Of course, the dilemma is that I wanted to ask them a few questions in person and help them in some way, but I couldn't do that, and until they wouldn't share their family's grief, I couldn't help them.

Reema looks different than before. She is sad, and her father adopts a slouched posture. Actually, Reema is worried because of her father. She doesn't comment, but she is sad to see her father sad because it's a bad change from their previous circumstances, but Reema's mother understands her and helps as much as she can.

But it is difficult to overcome the effects of worsening economic hardship unless the head of the family is able to run his family smoothly. After all, there are a lot of unknown causes, and Reema's depression stems from the difficulties being experienced by her parents. That is, when she was in the fifth grade and saw her family struggling with financial problems, her depression increased by the ninth grade.

Maybe she's not sad at all—at least not in the traditional sense. In other words, perhaps she is depressed by her family's plight, and this is a sign of her frustration—and perhaps her inability to do anything.

Most likely, the answer is somewhere in the middle because economic factors make depression worse, and depression makes the ability to tolerate adverse and more difficult. When things go wrong, psychological pain becomes a vicious cycle. You feel worse, and everything around you starts working negatively.

There is no doubt that reduced family income makes children more psychologically vulnerable. It creates increased financial pressure that has a negative impact on parents' mental health, and Reema's family is an example of this.

As a result, in order for families to overcome these challenges, they have been worsened by all these economic difficulties, and not only this, but these deprivations lead to a reduction in social interaction and an increase in family worries. All this has a negative impact. What is most worrying is that these effects persist even after difficult economic times.

Given the shame and despair that come with Reema's family's financial constraints, frank and open discussion is necessary but also extremely difficult to have because it could damage her self-esteem.

Understand that the COVID period put many families in a situation like Reema's family. Many NGOs we know are supported by social workers on staff and government departments that provide financial support. Schools and local municipalities have various programs.

Perhaps we also get a chance to express our understandable frustration through such contests. Certainly, we may need to accommodate such families, but if a family is in greater distress, then one has to ask why the family came to be in such a situation. It is important to help them talk about their difficulties and make them aware of available community resources.

Reem will improve, but her family's situation will have to improve first. It's not easy but we all know it takes time, and nothing will be completely fixed until her father has permanent employment.

I invite, @senehasa @josepha and @deepak94

Note- Names changed to protect privacy of the family.