Abstract:

This article analyses the relationship between individual financial crises and mental disorders, and evaluates the potential of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) as a clinical intervention for individuals experiencing financial-psychological distress. Using secondary data analysis integrating seven key meta-analyses, epidemiological data from Polish population surveys (EZOP, CBOS, BIG InfoMonitor & BIK), and European reports (Eurofound, OECD), the study grounds its analysis in three theoretical models: Conservation of Resources Theory (COR; Hobfoll, 1989, 2018), Prospect Theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979), and the Stress Process Model (Pearlin et al., 1981). Findings indicate that indebted individuals face 3.24-fold higher odds of any mental disorder (OR = 3.24) and 7.9-fold higher odds of completed suicide (Richardson et al., 2013). Each 1 percentage point rise in unemployment is associated with a 0.79% increase in suicides (Stuckler et al., 2009), and the 2008 global crisis caused approximately 4,884 excess suicides (Chang et al., 2013). SFBT demonstrates moderate-to-large effectiveness confirmed at the highest level of evidence synthesis (Hedges' g = 0.65 in RCTs; g = 1.17 overall; Żak & Pękala, 2024; Vermeulen-Oskam et al., 2024). A critical research gap is identified: no RCT has tested SFBT specifically in a financially distressed population. The article proposes a concrete RCT protocol (wait-list control design, N = 120, PHQ-9/GAD-7 primary outcomes, mastery as mediator) and formulates practical recommendations for clinicians.