As the credit crunch bites, we are all feeling the strain. With unemployment rising to almost two million, (the highest figure in over a decade) worries about redundancy, paying the mortgage and rising household bills can consume our thoughts. And it is all too easy for this stress to affect the way we get on with our partners.
According to Relate, there has been an increase in demand for counseling in 66% of their centers across the UK. So you are not alone if you feel like the credit crunch is a source of difficulty in your relationship.
Before turning to counsel why not visit our Listening Room service, provided by trained counselors, which provides a valuable opportunity for couples to seek advice.
New research (published in Family Relations) has found that money is a particularly difficult issue for couples to handle(1). How much, or how little we have in the bank, has an obvious impact on the way we live our lives and this is why it can be such a flashpoint for couples.
Researchers asked 100 husbands and wives to keep diary entries about their rows, and money was found to cause more anger amongst men and more sadness and fear from both men and women than other issues. Many couples also found rows about money were particularly hard to resolve so they would often drop the argument to talk about it later, leaving the issue to fester.
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Arguing about money often spills over into other areas of our lives when issues can’t be resolved. Therefore the credit crunch and the current climate of economic uncertainty will continue to affect how couples get on.
So what can you do to help yourselves out during these difficult times? Research shows that working on your relationship can help you to protect it against the ‘not so good times’, like during an economic downturn. Why not have a look at The Relationship Insight – The Rollercoaster of Change which explains how this works.
By reading through some of thecoupleconnection.net’s articles on money, registering to use our exercises and spending time on your relationship now you can start to protect your relationship and understand why money and the credit crunch can be such so troubling for couples.
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You might also like to try budget planning, or if it all gets too much you can try one of the services below:
- Relate
- Marriage Care
- Financial Services Authority
- National Debtline
- DirectGov mortgage help
- Citizens Advice Bureau
- Papp, LM., Cummings, EM. & Goeke-Morey, MC. (2009). For richer, for poorer: Money as a topic of marital conflict in the home. Family Relations, 58(1) pp91-103.
