Associations between psychological symptoms in adolescence and debts or experienced financial scarcity in emerging adulthood

Background Patients with psychiatric disorders are more likely to experience financial difficulties. Yet, there is limited knowledge about the longitudinal relationship between psychopathology in adolescence and debts or experienced financial scarcity in emerging adulthood. Aims We aimed to examine whether distinct types of psychological symptoms in mid-adolescence precede the occurrence of unsecured debts and experienced financial scarcity in emerging adulthood. Method Data from a Dutch adolescent cohort ( N = 659, 53.9% female) oversampled on the risk of psychopathology was used. Psychological symptoms were self-reported at baseline (mean age 14.80 years, s.d. = 0.79), using the Youth Self-Report and the Prodromal Questionnaire-16. At follow-up (mean age 17.95 years, s.d. = 0.80), adolescents reported presence of unsecured debts and completed the Psychological Inventory of Financial Scarcity. Logistic and linear regression analyses were applied, adjusting for the baseline characteristics of sex, age, ethnic background, parental psychopathology and household income as an indicator of family socioeconomic status. Results More attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems (adjusted odds ratio 1.15, 95 CI% 1.04–1.27), oppositional defiant problems (adjusted odds ratio 1.17, 95 CI% 1.00–1.35) and psychotic experiences (adjusted odds ratio 1.10, 95 CI% 1.01–1.21) at age 15 years were associated with unsecured debts at age 18 years. Depressive, anxiety, somatic and conduct problems were not associated with later unsecured debts. Depressive, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional defiant, conduct problems and psychotic experiences at age 15 years were associated with increased experienced financial scarcity at age 18 years. Conclusions Psychological symptoms during mid-adolescence precede both objective and subjective financial difficulties when entering adulthood. Integrating financial education into prevention efforts could potentially provide significant long-term benefits, particularly for those with mental health problems.