Material hardship in families with children with a limiting health condition

In this study, an Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Making Connections cross-sectional (Wave 3) dataset was used to assess the odds of experiencing four material hardships between families with children who have a child member with a limiting health condition, and families with children who do not have a child member with a limiting health condition. The odds of experiencing material hardship in families with more than one child with a limiting health condition was also assessed. Area probability sampling via US postal addresses was used to select respondents in seven high poverty U.S. neighborhoods between 2008 and 2011. Trained interviewers used a paper and pencil survey to record answers during in-person or telephone interviews with one adult participant from each selected household. This study found in the multivariable logistic regression models that having a child in the household with a limiting health condition increased the odds the household would be unable to pay bills, and have their phone service disconnected. It did not increase the odds of having utilities cut off, or receiving food stamps in the last 12 months. This study also found in the multivariable mode, that the number of children in a household with a limiting health condition increased the odds of being unable to pay bills, the odds of having a phone disconnected, and the odds of receiving food stamps. Again, it did not increase the odds of utility disconnection. This research demonstrates that the odds of experiencing material hardships do not favor families with a child with a limiting health condition, or families with more than one child with a limiting health condition. Implications for this research focus on interventions to disrupt the bidirectional relationship between material hardship and having a child with a limiting health condition.