Identifying a Construct Definition for Financial Stress

Financial stress has received meager attention in organizational science research. So far, financial stress research uses inconsistent or nonexistent definitions, and an array of terms, to describe what appears to be the same overarching construct, which limits practical and theoretical applications of financial stress. I address this definitional ambiguity by reviewing existing work and using qualitative interview data to inductively study workers’ financial stress experiences. The findings allow me to develop a comprehensive definition of financial stress, shed light on how individuals come to experience and address financial stress, and describe to whom individuals compare themselves when evaluating their financial status. Findings include several applied and theoretical contributions, which are indicative of an array of future research opportunities.