University of Denver News Releases
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Financial problems affect home-front, can destroy marriages
DU psychologists offer help and teach couples how to cope with financial stress
The Colorado Foreclosure Hotline has received 8,305 calls since January, 2008. That is 32 percent of the total calls the organization has received since its inception in October of 2006. In March, 4,000 Coloradans were forced into foreclosure according to Realty Trac.
“Financial problems are highly stressful because they strike at the very heart of our ability to provide for ourselves and our families,” says Martha Wadsworth, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Denver. “Serious financial problems like foreclosure or unemployment, can affect all areas of our lives, especially our relationships with family members.”
According to the American Psychological Association, psychologists are seeing more marital problems and domestic violence as a result of the foreclosure crisis.
Starting June 25, the University of Denver Psychology Department will help Denver-area couples with financial stress strengthen their relationships through the FRAME (Fatherhood, Relationship, and Marriage Education) project. The study will pay couples who are raising children together and who have financial difficulties to participate in the study.
“The first step is remembering that your partner is your ally, not the enemy,” says Wadsworth. “When you are under stress, it is easy to forget that. Two heads are usually better than one, so we try to get couples working together toward common goals, rather than fighting with each other.”
Wadsworth, who studies the effect of chronic financial stress on couples and families, along with psychology professor Howard Markman were awarded a $1.8 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to study the effects of money, among other things, on relationships.
Participants need to be available for five consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning June 25. For eligibility, please visit http://www.du.edu/psychology/frame/index.htm. To sign up or to get more information about the study, contact (303) 871-3028 or email frame@psy.du.edu.
-30-
The University of Denver (www.du.edu), the oldest private university in the Rocky Mountain region, enrolls approximately 11,117 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Denver as a Research University with high research activity.
Contact: Marcie Pregulman
Phone: (303) 871-3477
E-mail: Marcie.Pregulman@du.edu