Studies about child outcomes tend to look at parents as a primary variable of interest. Partially influenced by Conger’s Family Stress Model (FSM), the present study examines the relationship between experiencing financial hardship and parent’s well-being (i.e., physical health, happiness, and depression). FSM suggests that negative financial events will increase economic pressure which will have a negative effect on parents’ well-being (i.e., depression) and their relationships with their children and partner. Therefore, this paper explores (1) whether the relationship between financial hardship and parent’s depression could be moderated by public assistance services ;(2) whether experiencing financial hardship would have a negative effect on parent’s self-rated (physical health) and happiness. Utilizing waves 1,3,4, and 5 of The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the results indicated that financial hardship impacted parent’s physical health, happiness, and depression differently.
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