Building Financial Wellness Randomized Controlled Trial

Testing an Intervention to Promote Financial Wellness Among Adults With Psychiatric Disabilities

This study tests a psychosocial intervention to improve financial literacy and behaviors among adults with mental illnesses.

This study is designed to test the effectiveness of a financial education curriculum, called Building Financial Wellness (BFW), in promoting financial literacy and reducing economic strain among adults with a mental health condition. The design involves random assignment of adults who are receiving mental health services to the intervention plus services as usual, versus services as usual alone. Assessments at baseline, two months post-baseline, and three months later collect data to test the null hypotheses of no difference between intervention and control conditions on outcome measures in the following domains using longitudinal mixed-effects random regression analyses: 1) financial well-being; 2) financial strain; 3) financial capability; 4) financial self-sufficiency; and 5) financial literacy.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18+
• access to computer, tablet or smart phone and an internet connection suitable for using Zoom
• receiving services and/or supports for a diagnosed mental health disorder
• ability to understand spoken English
• interest in learning money management skills.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cognitive impairment preventing informed consent
• Unable to communicate in English