Introduction to the Special Issue on "Financial Capability and Asset Building for Family Financial Wellbeing".

The papers in this issue emerged from a 2020 social work academic conference focused on financial capability and asset building (FCAB) research. This introduction provides an overview of the challenging financial and economic realities for U.S. families that provide the context for these papers. An outline of social work?s unique role with these families precedes a brief introduction to each included paper. ?Building on these papers, the authors provide an overview of future directions for FCAB research in the areas of theory and methods. Regarding theory, the FCAB field will benefit from the further exploration of the role of access and context for financial capability, as well as the use of institutional theory in FCAB practice and research. The role of relationships on financial behavior is also under-researched along with the intersection of FCAB with clinical issues and other human needs. Regarding methods, future research that uses qualitative and longitudinal data is also needed to advance FCAB knowledge. Overall, interdisciplinary work across social work and consumer finance to build models that span professional boundaries and incorporate FCAB into consumer financial wellbeing models will advance theory and evidence.

Preventing Suicide Among Working-Age Adults: The Correlates of Help-Seeking Behavior.

We aimed to identify the correlates with not seeking help among working-age adults with suicidal ideation. By adapting the integrated model of suicide help-seeking, we examined help-seeking behavior in the following 3 stages: problem recognition, decision to seek help, and sources of help. We used a sample of working-age adults between 26 and 64 years old, who reported suicidal ideation in the past year (N = 1414). Data were drawn from the 2011 and 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and multinomial logistic regression analyses were applied. Findings suggested that being male, being nonwhite, being employed full-time, having lower levels of general mental health needs, and not having health insurance were associated with not seeking help. Results also indicated how each factor was related in the help-seeking pathway. Strategies to help problem recognition can be effective in enhancing help-seeking behavior among men, racial/ethnic minorities, and those without serious clinical conditions. Help-seeking interventions for working-age adults with suicidal ideation should also consider that race/ethnic minorities and those with lower levels of functional impairment might rely on alternative sources of help, such as family, friends, and religious advisors.

Feasibility of Brief Screening for At-Risk Gambling in Consumer Credit Counseling.

Gambling disorder and problem gambling often lead to major suffering in the form of mental health problems, interpersonal conflict, and financial crises. One potential setting for detecting at-risk gambling is credit counseling as gambling problems may manifest themselves in the form of financial distress and bankruptcy. Research studies have not considered those seeking credit counseling as individuals at risk for gambling problems even though gambling may contribute to financial distress. Therefore, the current study sought to quantify the prevalence of at-risk gambling in credit counseling compared with national estimates, to compare at-risk gamblers in this population to lower risk individuals, and to assess the feasibility of gambling screening in these settings. Using a mixed methods approach, the current study found that almost 20% of callers to a national agency reported gambling behavior, and among those who gambled, they reported higher rates of problems related to gambling than the broader U.S. population, thus supporting the idea that screening in credit counseling may help identify those at risk. Low risk gamblers were slightly younger than non-gamblers, but no other differences in sociodemographic and financial status variables were found based on gambling risk status. Results from focus groups and individual interviews suggest that credit counselors and program administrators see the benefit to brief screening within their intake and counseling processes. Our findings suggest that gambling screening is feasible in consumer credit counseling and may be acceptable to staff and administrators at these agencies.

Predicting the impact of chronic health conditions on workplace productivity and accidents: results from two US Department of Energy national laboratories.

OBJECTIVE: Examine associations of chronic health conditions on workplace productivity and accidents among US Department of Energy employees. METHODS: The Health and Work Performance Questionnaire-Select was administered to a random sample of two Department of Energy national laboratory employees (46% response rate; N = 1854). RESULTS: The majority (87.4%) reported having one or more chronic health conditions, with 43.4% reporting four or more conditions. A population-attributable risk proportions analysis suggests improvements of 4.5% in absenteeism, 5.1% in presenteeism, 8.9% in productivity, and 77% of accidents by reducing the number of conditions by one level. Depression was the only health condition associated with all four outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that chronic conditions in this workforce are prevalent and costly. Efforts to prevent or reduce condition comorbidity among employees with multiple conditions can significantly reduce costs and workplace accident rates.

Coping with grief responses among African American family members of homicide victims.

Research relevant to coping with grief for African American family members of homicide victims is limited. This retrospective study was conducted to determine the effects of gender, length of time since death, the traumatic impact of experiencing the homicide of a loved one, and the use of coping strategies to current grief reactions of African American family members of homicide victims (N = 44). Multiple regression analysis results suggest that gender and level of traumatic stress, related to posttraumatic stress symptomatology, predict current symptoms of grief. Women reported higher levels of current grief symptoms than men. Family members of homicide victims who reported higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptomology reported higher levels of current grief. Implications for research and recommendations for practitioners are discussed.