There's been quite a bit of research linking financial insecurity to poor health outcomes. The connection is, on its face, an obvious one, as a depleted checking account can cause stress, which can manifest in our bodies and minds. A new studyby researchers at Boston Medical Center furthers that unfortunate connection: It finds housing instability, including chronically late rent payment, can affect the mental and physical health of family members of all ages.

"People talk a lot about health, education, or jobs, but they don't often pivot back to housing or where people live," says Megan Sandel, a co-author on the study and a a principal investigator with Boston Medical Center's Children's HealthWatch program. "A stable home is the foundation to thrive. It is important for us to start thinking about creating more of that foundation so people can have a fair shot and start getting ahead."

Over a period of five years in five urban medical centers nationwide, the researchers surveyed and interviewed 22,324 low-income families with a series of questions about chronic forms of housing instability, and rated both the caregiver's and child's health.

[For more on this story by CANDACE BUTERA, go to https://psmag.com/social-justi...yments-family-health]