The impact of financial strain and external locus of control on psychological distress among single CAF members with children

Abstract

Introduction: Military families are often confronted with unique financial stressors related to the military lifestyle, including relocations, loss of spousal job, or child care expenses. Moreover, the impact of financial stressors may be exacerbated in single-parent military families. Although there is an increasing number of single-parent families in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), research concerning the role of financial stressors in their psychological well-being is limited. Methods: The goal of this study was to examine the role of financial stressors in the psychological well-being of single and married CAF members with and without children ( n = 1,781). Results: Single CAF members with children reported significantly higher financial strain and psychological distress than other CAF members. In addition, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that financial strain and an external locus of control played important roles in psychological distress even when family structure was taken into account. Discussion: Organizational implications, including recommendations related to financial education services aimed at single CAF members with children and the development of programs to promote an internal financial locus of control, are discussed.

Control Yourself! Examining the Dimensions of Eudaimonic Psychological Well-Being as Related to Locus of Control Using Structural Equation Modeling

“…Further research on locus of control in adolescents found a significant positive relationship between internal locus of control, happiness, and gratitude (Sona et al, 2020). Among military members with and without dependent family members, having an external locus of control predicted greater psychological distress and less psychological well-being when encountering financial strain (Skomorovsky & Wan, 2019). Similarly, in a sample composed of individuals with varying employment statuses, Baluku and colleagues (2021) determined that an external locus of control was negatively associated with eudaimonic psychological well-being.…”

“…While Rotter (1966) is certain to note that neither loci of control is inherently superior to the other, several studies indicate that a general orientation toward an internal locus of control is more frequently associated with benefits in a variety of areas, such as physical health, interpersonal relationships, academic achievement, and job performance (Hopkins et al, 2020;Levy & Gumpel, 2020;Kesavayuth et al, 2020;Strong & Gore, 2020). Given the evident benefits of orientation toward an internal locus of control, researchers have worked extensively to confirm the association between locus of control and various measures of psychological well-being (Baluku et al, 2021;Di Pentima et al, 2019;Enwere & Mbakwe, 2021;Skomorovsky & Wan, 2019). With a public interest in mental health awareness and an emphasis on positive psychology today, psychological well-being is a continuously growing area of research.…”

“…Several studies exploring the relationship between locus of control and psychological well-being indicate that an individual's locus of control may influence or predict their level of psychological well-being (Baluku et al, 2021;Di Pentima et al, 2019;Enwere & Mbakwe, 2021;Skomorovsky & Wan, 2019;Sona et al, 2020). Specifically, the findings of these studies suggest that a general orientation toward an internal locus of control is associated with higher levels of psychological well-being.…”

“…Given its close association with these positive life outcomes, many researchers seek to isolate what factors or traits may facilitate the attainment of psychological well-being (Akhtar & Kroener-Herwig, 2019;Kardas et al, 2019;Poudel et al, 2020;Stevenson et al, 2019;Xia & Ma, 2020). One trait that appears to reliably predict an individual's level of psychological well-being is their locus of control (Baluku et al, 2021 Pentima et al, 2019;Enwere & Mbakwe, 2021;Skomorovsky & Wan, 2019). Based on these considerations, the primary purpose of this study was to replicate previous findings that internal loci of control predict higher levels of psychological well-being.…”