Economic Adjustment Strategies of Farm Men and Women Experiencing Economic Stress

Adjustment strategies of 337 farm men and women who faced economic stress were studied. Thirty-seven strategies were combined into one total-item scale with four subscales (increasing and extending money income, decreasing money expenditures, increasing household labor income, and increasing household management income). Regression analyses for the scales were performed with economic and human resources as independent variables. Predictors of adjustment strategies differed by gender. Income adequacy perception and perceived emotional stress were significant for females, but only perceived emotional stress was significant for males. Perceiving incomes as inadequate increased adjustment activities for all four adjustment strategy scales, for women