Economic Stress and Healthcare Adherence: The Influence of Job Insecurity and Income Adequacy

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of economic stressors on the relationship between healthcare adherence attitudes and intentions. The data were collected through two time points, three months apart, from 442 US workers recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the model with perceived income inadequacy and job insecurity as moderators of the adherence attitudes-intentions relationship. The model controlled for adherence intentions at Time 1 (T1), medical illness history, and medical illness recency. The results confirmed the healthcare adherence attitudes-intentions relationship, and supported the hypothesis that economic stressors were negatively correlated with healthcare adherence attitudes and intentions. Job insecurity moderated this relationship and perceived income inadequacy was negatively associated with healthcare intentions across time. The findings highlight the importance of considering economic stress as a social determinant in interventions aimed at improving adherence. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the relationship between economic stress and healthcare adherence.