Title

The Interactive Effects of Personal Credit Literacy in Predicting the Credit Card Debt of College Students and Subsequent Outcomes

Document Type

Dissertation

Comments


Presented to the Graduate Council of Texas State University-San Marcos in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, December 10, 2008.
Committee Members Approved:
Dr. Larry R. Price, Co-Chair
Dr. Brian K. Miller, Co-Chair
Dr. Judy L. Allen
Dr. Michael J. Keeffe
Dr. Emily Miller Payne
Approved:
J. Michael Willoughby, Dean of the Graduate College

Abstract

The problem of consumer credit card debt has permeated college campuses. Nellie Mae (2005) reported that 76 percent of undergraduates have at least one credit card, freshman carry an average of $1,585 in credit card debt, and students graduate with credit card balances averaging $2,864. The purpose of this investigation is to examine how experiential, attitudinal, and dispositional factors are moderated by personal credit literacy (PCL) in the prediction of the credit card debt level of college students, which in turn predicts the outcomes of stress, increased work hours, relationship conflict, school interruptions, and self-esteem. The present study focused on nine independent variables that indicate an association to credit card debt (Allen & Jover, 1997; Hayhoe, Leach, Turner, Bruin, & Lawrence 2000; Joo, Grable, & Blackwell, 2003; Norvilitis, Szablicki, Wilson, 2003) as well as the aforementioned outcomes. The investigation will employ the use of a mediated moderation multiple regression model.