Poll: Economy stokes family stress

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Jan. 20 (UPI) -- A survey unveiled Tuesday finds as the U.S. recession settles in, family relationships could become more unsettled, if not outright stormy.

The poll by COUNTRY Financial indicates three out of four Americans polled agreed financial stress leads to emotional stress for their families to the point of triggering arguments among parents and children.

The stress appears to hit women harder than men as 81 percent of women agreed the economy and money were stressful topics of discussion compared to 65 percent of men. Sixty percent of women said they had discussions with their kids about money matters compared to 46 percent of men.

COUNTRY Financial said in a written statement a silver lining to the seemingly gloomy situation is that families are being more frank when it comes to discussing budgets and other financial matters.

"There is no doubt this economy has been a rude awakening for families," COUNTRY Vice President Keith Brannan said. "While the current situation is stressful to many Americans, it is encouraging that people are permanently changing their financial habits as a result."

The telephone survey conducted this month polled nearly 1,200 Americans with children living at home. The margin of error was 3 percentage points