Source: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
EXPLORING FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FINANCIAL ABUSE WITHIN FAMILIES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1016114
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
May 17, 2018
Project End Date
May 1, 2023
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Project Director
Betz Hamilton, AX.
Recipient Organization
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
PO BOX 2275A
BROOKINGS,SD 57007
Performing Department
College of Education & Human Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Financial abuse within families is a significant problem affecting both victims and their families. Estimates of such abuse range from 5.2% of elders age 65 and older being victimized by a family member (Acierno, Hernandez-Tejada, Muzzy, & Steve, 2009), and up to 27% of child identity theft victims being victimized by a family member or close friend (Cepeda, 2013). Financial abuse within families can negatively impact victims and families financially, physically, and psychologically. Victims can be denied credit, employment opportunities, be required to pay security deposits for utilities services, have their estate plans thwarted, and experience feelings of distrust, shame, and embarrassment as a result of this problem. The stress of financial abuse within families can also have physical ramifications, such as headaches, insomnia, and malnutrition. Family relationships can be damaged beyond repair. In this project, victims of family financial abuse and their non-perpetrating family members will engage in in-depth interviews to understand their experiences with financial abuse within their families, and gain insights regarding perpetrators. Participants will also engage in a survey and a follow-up in-depth interview to gain insights regarding potential risk and protective factors associated with EFFE via POA. Victims will be helped from these studies by knowing that they are not alone in their experiences and that they can be empowered to identify and address potential risk factors relevant to themselves and their family and identify potential perpetrators. By empowering victims, potential victims, and their families, personal and family financial stability and family relationship quality will be maintained, leading to increased family well-being. It is expected the findings from Objective 1 regarding perpetrators of familial identity theft will be used to inform Objective 2 on perpetrators of EFFE, as it is assumed characteristics of familial identity thieves will be similar to those who commit EFFE. From here, it is expected that a model explaining perpetrators of family financial abuse will begin to be developed. By cultivating a greater understanding of financial abuse within families, effective strategies will be developed to identify potential perpetrators and safeguard victims' personal information and assets. These strategies and mechanisms will be developed by professionals in the field, such as financial counselors, social workers, and attorneys. The results of this study will be valuable to these professionals as incidences of the complex crime of family financial abuse are on the rise. ?
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
0%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
80260203070100%
Knowledge Area
802 - Human Development and Family Well-Being;

Subject Of Investigation
6020 - The family and its members;

Field Of Science
3070 - Psychology;
Goals / Objectives
The major goal of this project is to increase the understanding of individual and contextual factors that may contribute to financial abuse within families. The three objectives for this project are:1. Understanding the Lived Experiences of Familial Identity Theft Victims: In Year 1, individual and contextual factors that may contribute to an individual becoming a perpetrator of familial identity theft will be explored, with the aim of identifying common characteristics and circumstances that lead to the perpetration of familial identity theft.2. Understanding Perpetrators of Elder Family Financial Exploitation (EFFE): In Years 1 and 2, individual and contextual factors that may contribute to becoming a perpetrator of financial exploitation of an elder relative will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this objective is to identify common characteristics and circumstances that lead to the perpetration of elder family financial exploitation.3. Exploring Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Elder Family Financial Exploitation via POA: In Years 1-5, individual and contextual factors that may lead to or prevent later financial exploitation of an elder by a family member power of attorney agent (POA) will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this project is to identify common individual, family, and social risk factors for elder family financial exploitation via POA.
Project Methods
Financial abuse within families has been documented in the forms of parents stealing their children's identities (Betz, 2012), family members stealing other family members' identities (Navarro & Higgins, 2017), as well as family members financially exploiting elder relatives (Betz-Hamilton & Vincenti, 2018; Vincenti, Browne, Betz-Hamilton, & Jasper, 2013/14). Betz (2012) focused on victims' experiences and Navarro and Higgins (2017) identified characteristics of victims. Betz-Hamilton and Vincenti (2018) focused on family-level risk factors and Vincenti, et al. (2013/14) focused specifically on family secrecy as a risk factor for later elder family financial exploitation. This project seeks to expand upon the work of Betz-Hamilton & Vincenti (2018) and Vincenti et al. (2013/14) and address the gap in information about perpetrators of family financial abuse.Objective 1, Understanding the Lived Experiences of Familial Identity Theft Victims:This objective will utilize a qualitative design to analyze interview data collected from a minimum of six familial identity theft victims via audio-recorded interviews. Six participants is a sufficient number for a phenomenological study (Crewsell, 2013) Interviews will be transcribed by a professional transcriber and analysis will involve identifying significant statements that provide insight as to how the participants experienced familial identity theft (Creswell, 2013). These significant statements will be categorized into larger "clusters of meaning" (Creswell, 2013; p. 82), and then be further organized into broad themes that capture the essence of the lived experience of familial identity theft. Data will be interpreted using Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory as a framework. A workshop will be provided to professionals at a national conference, such as AFCPE, to inform individuals about the common characteristics and behaviors of a familial identity thief. The impact of the peer-reviewed publication(s) will be measured by the number of downloads of each paper and workshop participants will be asked to complete an evaluation survey to measure their increase in knowledge(to measure what?) at the conclusion of the workshop.Objective 2, Understanding Perpetrators of Elder Family Financial Exploitation (EFFE):This objective will utilize a qualitative approach to analyze secondary interview data from approximately 25 non-perpetrating family members who experienced EFFE within their family. This data was collected by a member of W3191 for a research project in Minnesota. Data analysis will involve identifying significant statements regarding perpetrators that provide insight as to how the participants experienced EFFE (Creswell, 2013). These significant statements will be categorized into larger "clusters of meaning" (Creswell, 2013; p. 82) using NVivo 11, and then be further organized into broad themes that capture the essence of the lived experience of EFFE. Data will be interpreted using Bronfebrenner's Bioecological Theory as a guide. A minimum of one peer-reviewed publication and one workshop will be created based on the findings of this study. The goal of this workshop will be to inform individuals about the common characteristics and behaviors of a perpetrator of EFFE. This workshop will be provided to professionals at a professional conference, such as the South Dakota Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference. The impact of the peer-reviewed publication(s) will be measured by the number of downloads of each paper and workshop participants will be asked to complete an evaluation survey to measure their change in knowledge at the conclusion of the workshopObjective 3, Exploring Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Elder Family Financial Exploitation via Power of Attorney:This objective will employ a mixed-methods approach to explore possible risk and protective factors that may contribute to or inhibit later financial exploitation of an elder by a relative with POA. Quantitative data will be gathered via an online self-administered survey and qualitative data will be gathered via follow-up interviews. The goal is to obtain 100 total participants, with 50 from families where EFFE has occurred and 50 from families where a POA was implemented without resulting EFFE. It is expected that the data collection will continue for two years to reach 50 participants in each category. Descriptive statistics will be computed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, along with chi-square analyses. Interviews will be transcribed and uploaded into NVivo 11 to develop codes, categories, and themes. Codes are small pieces of text that a researcher considers meaningful. Similar codes are then grouped into a broader category. The category is assigned a name that meaningfully encompasses all of the codes. Similar categories are then grouped into broad themes, which are then used to answer the research question. A minimum of one peer-reviewed publication and two workshops focused on the findings of this project will be created. The goals of these workshops will be to share potential risk and protective factors for EFFE in order to assist individuals with preventing it from occurring within families. These workshops will be designed to appeal to both individuals and practitioners. One will be presented at a national conference, such as the AAFCS conference, and one will be presented to a local community group. The impact of the peer-reviewed publication(s) will be measured by the number of downloads of each paper and workshop participants will be asked to complete an evaluation survey at the conclusion of the workshops.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences reached include academic audiences and practitioner audiences in the fields of family and consumer sciences, financial counseling and planning, financial therapy, and criminal justice, along with government employees in relevant agencies (Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), via presentations at academic conferences, webinars, and journal articles. Cooperative Extension staff were reached in the area of family financial management via webinars. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For Objective 1, I will complete any requested revisions for the manuscript that is under review. For Objective 2, I will work with the other researcher in the W3191 subgroup that is focused on understanding perpetrators of elder family financial exploitation to complete and submit a peer-reviewed manuscript and begin developing a manuscript that focuses on the use of theory in understanding perpetrators of elder family financial exploitation. For Objective 3, I am redirecting my focus to understanding EFFE perpetrators. Objective 3 will be addressed in a future Hatch project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Familial Identity Theft Victims 90% accomplished Two manuscripts were published, based on a qualitative study I completed in 2018. The papers were published in the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning and Journal of Financial Therapy. A third manuscript regarding differences in financial, emotional, and physical health consequences of familial identity theft victimization is under review. Objective 2: Understanding Perpetrators of Elder Family Financial Exploitation (EFFE): In Years 1 and 2, individual and contextual factors that may contribute to becoming a perpetrator of financial exploitation of an elder relative will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this objective is to identify common characteristics and circumstances that lead to the perpetration of elder family financial exploitation. 30% accomplished. W3191 member Marlene Stum and I began analyzed interview data from 28 family members who had experienced elder family financial exploitation (EFFE) in their families. We are focusing on family members' experiences with perpetrators to explore what influences a family member EFFE perpetrator. A manuscript is in preparation and is expected to be submitted in early 2021. Objective 3: Exploring Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Elder Family Financial Exploitation via POA: In Years 1-5, individual and contextual factors that may lead to or prevent later financial exploitation of an elder by a family member power of attorney agent (POA) will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this project is to identify common individual, family, and social risk factors for elder family financial exploitation via POA. 25% accomplished The W3191 multi-state project organized into three subgroups two years ago. One very large group (ranging from 10-13 researchers) has been working in a subgroup focused on exploring risk and protective factors associated with elder family financial exploitation via POA. Another group (2 researchers) have been working on understanding perpetrators of elder family financial exploitation. Another group (2 researchers) have been studying factors that influence substitute decision-making arrangements for older adults. Given my recent research focus on perpetrators of familial identity theft, it has been natural for me to focus more on the work being conducted in the perpetrators subgroup than the risk and protective factors subgroup associated with Objective 3. I plan to focus on Objective 3 in a future Hatch project.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. (2020). Understanding the experiences of familiar identity theft victims: A pilot study. Journal of Financial Therapy, 11 (1). doi: 10.4148/1944-9771.1237
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. E. (2020). A phenomenological study on parental perpetrators of child identity theft. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 34 (1), 1-10. doi: 10.1891/JFCP-19-00001
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. E., & Zurlo, K. (in press). Financial abuse and victimization of older adults. In C. Callahan & J. Frey (Eds). Handbook on Financial Social Work and Clinical Implications (pp. xxx-xx).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Teaster, P. B., Vincenti, V., Betz-Hamilton, A., Bolkan, C., & Jasper, C. (2019). Themes from elder financial exploitation by family member powers of attorney. In K.P. Lyness & J.L. Fischer (Eds.) Gender, Sexual Identity, and Families: The Personal is Political. Ann Arbor, MI: MPublishing, University of Michigan Library. doi: 10.3998/groves.9453087.0005.001
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A., & Rich, J. (2019) Successful family member POA agent implementation: Estate planning experiences in South Dakota. Proceedings of the 2019 Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education conference.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gilligan, M., Betz-Hamilton, A., & Chapman, A. (2019). Addressing the theoretical gaps in elder financial exploitation. Innovation in Aging, 3 (suppl_1), S384. doi: 10.1093/geroni/igz038.1409
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. E. A comparison of the financial, emotional, and physical consequences of identity theft victimization among familial and non-familial victims.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. E., & Rich, J. Successful family member POA agent implementation: Estate planning experiences in South Dakota. Revised and resubmitted to the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.


Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period I had three invited presentations, one conference proceeding, one accepted book chapter, and one accepted journal manuscript. As well, I presented a webinar to SDSU Extension staff. Target audiences reached include academic audiences and practitioner audiences in the field of family and consumer sciences and criminal justice, along with government employees in relevant agencies (Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). The invited presentations reached government employees, academic and practitioner audiences and the accepted publication, book chapter, and conference proceeding reached academic audiences. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For Objective 1, I will complete the requested revisions for the manuscript that has received a "revise and resubmit" decision. For Objective 2, I will work with Marlene to complete data analysis and develop a manuscript based on the findings of this project. For Objective 3, I will contribute to discussions about potentially changing this objective with the W3191 group. data will continue to be collected for the mixed-methods study. Data analysis will begin during the next year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Familial Identity Theft Victims 80% Accomplished One manuscript based on the findings of the study completed in Year 1 was submitted and accepted, and another was submitted and received a "revise and resubmit" decision. Objective 2: Understanding Perpetrators of Elder Family Financial Exploitation (EFFE): In Years 1 and 2, individual and contextual factors that may contribute to becoming a perpetrator of financial exploitation of an elder relative will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this objective is to identify common characteristics and circumstances that lead to the perpetration of elder family financial exploitation. 25% accomplished. W3191 member Marlene Stum and I began analyzing interview data of family members who had experienced elder family financial exploitation (EFFE) in their families. We are focusing on family members' experiences with perpetrators to explore what influences a family member EFFE perpetrator. Objective 3: Exploring Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Elder Family Financial Exploitation via POA: In Years 1-5, individual and contextual factors that may lead to or prevent later financial exploitation of an elder by a family member power of attorney agent (POA) will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this project is to identify common individual, family, and social risk factors for elder family financial exploitation via POA.25% accomplished Based on feedback from other members of the W3191 team, this objective may need to be changed.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: *Betz-Hamilton, A. E. (accepted). Understanding parental perpetrators of child identity theft. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. E. Understanding the experiences of child identity theft victims when a parent is the perpetrator. Resubmitted to the Journal of Financial Therapy
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. E., & Zurlo, K. (in press). Financial abuse and victimization of older adults. In C. Callahan & J. Frey (Eds). Handbook on Financial Social Work and Clinical Implications (pp. xxx-xx).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Irvin-Erickson, Y., Harrell, E., Velasquez, E., & Betz-Hamilton, A. Addressing identity theft victimization. Invited symposium at the George Mason University Center for Evidenced-Based Crime Policy Symposium. Arlington, VA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A. (2019, April). Exploring disordered eating in familial identity theft victims experiences. Invited presentation at the South Dakota State University Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference. Mitchell, SD.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Rich, J., & Betz-Hamilton, A. (2019, April). Psychopathy: What you need to know to help yourself, your family, and your community. Invited presentation at the South Dakota State University Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference. Mitchell, SD.


Progress 05/17/18 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:As there were two manuscripts under review during the reporting period, target audiences identified on the project initiation form were not reached during this reporting period. Academic target audiences will be reached once the manuscripts are accepted for publication. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For Objective 1, any revision requests that may be made for the manuscripts under review will be completed to facilitate publication. For Objective 2, research questions will be finalized, and data analysis of secondary interview data will occur. For Objective 3, data will continue to be collected for the mixed-methods study. Data analysis will begin during the next year.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The project was approved May 2018, Due to the short time period following the approval of the project (5 months), significant progress to meeting the Overall Goals and Objectives have been limited. To date, the majority of the work has been focused on collecting and analyzing data associated with a funded project focused on familial identity theft and collecting data for a funded mixed-methods study on elder financial exploitation within families. Using funds obtained through a SDSU Scholarly Excellence Seed Grant, I completed a phenomenological study of familial identity theft victims in June 2018. The findings from this study indicate that familial identity theft can be conceptualized as a form of trauma with negative effects on victims, such the development of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Perpetrators of familial identity theft were found to exhibit behaviors indicative of psychopathy. These findings have impact for the work of financial services providers, mental health counselors, and medical personnel. Objective 2: Understanding Perpetrators of Elder Family Financial Exploitation (EFFE): In Years 1 and 2, individual and contextual factors that may contribute to becoming a perpetrator of financial exploitation of an elder relative will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this objective is to identify common characteristics and circumstances that lead to the perpetration of elder family financial exploitation. _2___% accomplished. Discussions regarding the study associated with Objective 2 have occurred between me and the colleague on the W3191 project who agreed to collaborate on the project. Secondary data will be utilized, and research questions are being developed based on a review of literature published since 2010 on family member perpetrators of elder financial exploitation. During this reporting period, no results or conclusions were able to be shared with target audiences identified on the project initiation form. Objective 3: Exploring Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Elder Family Financial Exploitation via POA: In Years 1-5, individual and contextual factors that may lead to or prevent later financial exploitation of an elder by a family member power of attorney agent (POA) will be explored as a member of W3191: Elder Financial Exploitation: Family Risk and Protective Factors. The aim of this project is to identify common individual, family, and social risk factors for elder family financial exploitation via POA.__5__% accomplished To expand the scope of the mixed-methods study that members of the W3191 team had underway prior to this reporting period, I and two other W3191 team members successfully received a $9,000 grant from Kappa Omicron Nu. This grant will provide $3,000 per year through 2021. This funding will further enable data collection and analysis which will provide results and conclusions that can be shared with broad audiences.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A.E. Exploring disordered eating in familial identity theft victims experiences.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2018 Citation: Betz-Hamilton, A.E. Psychopathy: One potential explanation for familial identity theft.