???At a time when the U.S. economy is struggling to stay afloat and millions are losing their jobs, families across the country are being subjected to dangerous levels of stress.
???Citing a variety of family research conducted over the past 10 years, Sampson Blair, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Sociology, stated that financial and occupational stress could harm family relationships, and several recent cases of familial violence are only the beginning.
???"Essentially we have a perfect storm when it comes to pressure in families," Blair said.
???Within the past month, two U.S. families fell victim to the pressures of financial stress.
???In a small suburban town in Ohio, a husband and father of two succumbed to his own despair after losing his job, according to news reports. The result was the slaying of his family right before he took his own life.
???These events occurred just hours after a similar tragedy hit the town of Sorrento Pointe, Calif., where a man named Karthik Rajaram shot and killed his mother-in-law, wife and three children before turning the gun on himself. Rajaram was a former financial analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Sony Pictures.
???"Family murder-suicide is still relatively uncommon, but I expect an increase in such incidents over the next few years," Blair said.
???Family researchers have long pointed to how financial and occupational stressors can negatively impact the quality of family relationships, according to Blair.
???"The economic situation also portends a significant increase in other forms of family violence, including spousal and child abuse, child neglect and other forms of dysfunctional behavior like substance abuse," Blair said. "But when we have periods of economic depression or recession, generally suicide rates do go up."
???Sociology research explains that when looking at the relationship between the economy and suicide, it is the financial stress and anxiety that push people over the edge of mental stability.
???Studies have shown that families who are distant from one another have to face the task of trying to gain emotional and social support from each other, sometimes from thousands of miles away, which can create even more stress.
This is the more complex approach when compared with face-to-face support, which is proven to be the most secure way to gain emotional stability after losing a job or home.
???"People rely on social support from other members of their family," Blair said. "For most people like young adults, they go to college, they get a degree, and then they get a job. The primary consideration is to get a job that's close to [a person's] family."
???Blair painted a grim future for the country, citing the high suicide rate for stockbrokers during the Great Depression.
???"Unfortunately I do not see the murder-suicide rates alleviating anytime soon at all," Blair said. "It will only get much worse."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
