The Impact of Economic Insecurity on Mental Health: The Mediating Roles of Chronic Stress, Perceived Control, and Social Support

Abstract

This study aimed to explain individuals’ lived experiences of the effects of economic insecurity on mental health and to identify the mediating roles of chronic stress, perceived control, and social support among adults residing in Tehran. This qualitative study employed an inductive thematic analysis approach. The participants were 24 adults aged 25–60 years living in Tehran who were selected through purposive maximum-variation sampling based on their experiences of income instability, job insecurity, difficulty meeting essential expenses, indebtedness, or housing-cost pressure. Data were collected exclusively through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interviews continued until theoretical and conceptual saturation was achieved. Initial saturation emerged after the twenty-first interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to verify data sufficiency. All interviews were audio-recorded with permission, transcribed verbatim, anonymized, and organized in NVivo. Data analysis involved familiarization with the transcripts, initial coding, development of candidate themes, theme review, definition and naming of themes, and integration of the findings. Credibility and dependability were enhanced through participant checking, peer review, maximum-variation sampling, reflexive notes, and maintenance of an analytical audit trail. Four main categories were identified: “living under continuous economic alert and the development of chronic stress,” “erosion of perceived control and contraction of the future horizon,” “social support as a conditional buffer or an additional source of pressure,” and “psychological, relational, and behavioral consequences of economic insecurity.” Participants described economic insecurity not merely as inadequate income but as an ongoing experience of unpredictability, constant financial calculation, fear of unexpected expenses, and inability to plan. Chronic stress intensified the effects of insecurity through repetitive worry, sleep disturbance, irritability, cognitive fatigue, and emotional exhaustion. A declining sense of control was associated with helplessness, postponed life decisions, reduced motivation, and disengagement from long-term goals. Empathic and non-stigmatizing support protected mental health, whereas conditional assistance, criticism, comparison, or perceived indebtedness exacerbated distress. Economic insecurity appears to affect mental health through an interconnected psychosocial process rather than a direct and exclusively financial pathway. Chronic stress translates economic uncertainty into persistent psychological strain, reduced perceived control weakens individual agency, and the quality of social support determines whether interpersonal relationships buffer or intensify distress. Effective responses should therefore combine accessible mental health care with predictable social protection, employment and financial counseling, interventions that strengthen realistic personal agency, and non-stigmatizing community support