The Impact of Family Financial Support on Parental Mental Health

The investigators have partnered with financial coaching organizations to establish what the investigators have termed a "Medical-Financial Partnership (MFP)" that offers financial coaching to improve financial and mental health. The investigators will evaluate the MFP's impact on mental health using the Kessler-6 emotional distress scale.

Financial coaching is a new tool in the field of community development, but it has already demonstrated significant financial impact in a number of studies, including one randomized trial conducted by the Urban Institute. Financial coaching improves participant financial literacy, budgeting, saving for financial emergencies, and debt level. The investigators' project will help clinicians and the field of community economic development understand health and well-being through a new economic lens and assess the health-related impacts of the emerging field of financial coaching. The investigators have partnered with financial coaching organizations to establish what they have termed a "Medical-Financial Partnership (MFP)" that offers financial coaching to improve financial and mental health. The investigators will evaluate the MFP's impact on mental health using the Kessler-6 emotional distress scale as the outcome variable. Community-based participants will be recruited from South Los Angeles and randomized to receive either monthly financial coaching plus access to referral for social services (intervention) or access to referral for social services alone (control). Inclusion criteria include having dependents under age 18, having some form of income, and having a tax identification number (social security number or Individual Tax Identification Number). Participants will be surveyed quarterly regarding their mental health using the Kessler-6 emotional distress scale.

Financial Coaching, Mental Disorders, Social Determinants, Medical-Financial Partnership, Toxic Stress

Participants in this arm will receive monthly financial coaching and access to basic social service referrals until either one year, closure of all financial needs, or loss to follow up.

Participants in this arm will receive access to basic social service referrals until either one year, closure of all financial needs, or loss to follow up.

Enrollment in one-to-one financial coaching intervention to support savings, income, and credit while reducing debt using available tools in the community development field.

Inclusion Criteria: Caregivers/Parents with one or more child dependents, income of any sort, and a tax identification number. Exclusion Criteria: Inability to partake in financial coaching due to physical limitations or primary language other than Spanish or English.