Doctoral Dissertation Research: Housing Instability, Foreclosures and Family Health

在最近的经济衰退期间，房屋止赎在美国的一些地区变得普遍，这种情况曾经很少见。先前的研究表明，在住房不稳定时期，人们的健康问题会增加，但这种负面联系的原因尚不清楚。本论文的主要目的是更好地理解解释丧失抵押品赎回权和健康之间关系的机制。研究人员将研究加州斯托克顿的家庭在住房不稳定方面的经历，这个城市受到了止赎危机的严重打击。该项目通过对处于房屋所有权不同阶段的家庭进行访谈和长期观察，包括已经丧失抵押品赎回权的家庭、面临丧失抵押品赎回权风险的家庭和目前没有丧失抵押品赎回权风险的家庭。丧失抵押品赎回权的过程会给家庭的财务状况、居住地和社会关系带来变化。这些变化可能产生广泛的与健康有关的影响。还将通过对加利福尼亚各城市关于丧失抵押品赎回权和健康的汇总数据进行定量分析，检验所确定的潜在机制的显著性。这项研究的重点是那些保持中产阶级生活方式和身份的家庭，这些家庭与拥有住房的想法密切相关。这项调查将为研究社会生活各个领域的不平等和劣势建立新的理论工具。通过确定将经济和住房不稳定与健康联系起来的中介过程，该研究可以作为思考与其他领域类似联系的框架。更广泛的影响这项研究的结果的影响超出了一个家庭失去家园的短期影响，也超出了最近的经济危机。丧失抵押品赎回权后，家庭可能会继续与信用受损和生活中断作斗争。同样，丧失抵押品赎回权的经历与其他与财务困境和经济不稳定相关的生活事件（如驱逐、失业和离婚）有相似之处。这项研究的见解可以在其他家庭案例中得到验证。遭受社会或经济冲击的经历。这项研究确定的机制可以指导住房和保健领域的政策。为此，该研究的一个主要目标是将研究结果转化为更广泛的受众，包括地方、州和联邦政策制定者，他们为那些在丧失抵押品赎回权、被驱逐或无家可归中挣扎的家庭设计干预措施。

Mary PattilloCarol HeimerElyse KovalskyNorthwestern University Home foreclosure, once a rare occurrence, became widespread in some parts of the U.S. during the recent economic downturn. Previous research suggests that people have increased health problems during times of housing instability, but the reasons for this negative association are not clear. The primary objective of this dissertation is to better understand the mechanisms that explain the relationship between foreclosure and health. The researchers will study families' experiences of housing instability in Stockton, California, a city hard hit by the foreclosure crisis. The project draws on interviews with and long-term observations of families at different stages of homeownership, including families who have already experienced foreclosure, families at risk of foreclosure, and families not presently at risk of foreclosure. The foreclosure process can bring changes in families' financial situations, in where they live and in their social ties. These changes create the possibilities for a wide range of health-related effects. The salience of potential mechanisms identified will also be tested through quantitative analysis of aggregated data on foreclosure and health from California cities. This study focuses on families whose hold on a middle class lifestyle and identity is tethered closely to the idea of homeownership. The investigation will build new theoretical tools for the study of inequality and disadvantage across domains of social life. By identifying mediating processes linking economic and housing instability to health, the study can serve as a framework for thinking about similar connections to other domains. Broader ImpactsThe results of this research have implications beyond the near-term impacts of a family losing their home, and beyond the recent economic crisis. After foreclosure, families may continue to struggle with ruined credit and disrupted lives. Similarly, the experience of foreclosure has parallels to other life events associated with financial distress and economic precariousness, such as eviction, job loss and divorce. Insights from this study can be tested in these other cases of families? experience of social or economic shocks. The mechanisms identified by this study may guide policy in the areas of housing and health. To this end, a major goal of the study is translating research findings to a broader audience of local, state, and federal policymakers designing interventions for families struggling with foreclosure, eviction or homelessness.