Housing, Living Arrangements and Mental Health of Young Adults in Independent Living

Bo-Kyong Seo and Gum-Ryeong Park
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Bo-Kyong Seo: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
Gum-Ryeong Park: Department of Health, Aging & Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: Young adults are prone to psychological stress and anxiety induced by major transitions to adulthood. While employment has predominated in previous research on the social determinants of young people’s mental health, this study examines the association between young people’s housing problems and mental health in the context of an unaffordable housing market. Using the Survey on the Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Youths ( n = 1308) in Korea, the study found that perceived poor housing quality and material hardship are negatively associated with the mental health of young adults living independently. Specifically, while poor housing quality and material hardship induced by housing cost burden were negatively associated with single-person households’ mental health, only poor housing quality was associated with non-single-person households’ mental health. This study is one of the few studies examining the linkage between housing problems and mental health of young adults and informs the interventions aimed at promoting the psychological well-being of young adults in the transition from parents’ homes to independent living.

Keywords: housing cost burden; perceived housing quality; living arrangements; mental health; young adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5250-:d:554981

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