Richard Hogan: Financial strain takes emotional toll on families

Parents can often feel obliged to maintain the lifestyle their children have become accustomed to

The back-to-school season places immense financial strain on individuals and families, sometimes causing anxiety, stress, depression, and a general deterioration of mental health.

Working with families every day, you get an insider’s perspective on the pressures placed on families in modern society. Of course, being a parent since 2011, I have my own personal experience of what it is like rearing children in modern Ireland. 

Over the last number of years, the family unit has had an almost intolerable amount of pressure placed on it. I sat with so many families post-2008 and heard of the devastating impact job loss and financial stress placed on each member of the family.