Daily Stress Profiles and Depression Among out-of-School Youth in South Korea: The Moderating Role of Problematic Smartphone Use and Self-Esteem

Background/Purpose:

The prevalence of adolescent depression is among the highest in South Korea compared to other countries. Notably, 35% of out-of-school youth in South Korea experience depressive symptoms, a rate that surpasses the general adolescent population. This discrepancy may be explained by the various stressors that out-of-school youth face in their daily lives. Although the literature has elucidated factors related to depression in out-of-school youth, they have not fully addressed the multidimensional nature of stress in a single study. Pearlin’s Stress Process Model provides a useful framework for understanding how diverse stressors affect depression. This study aims to identify the multidimensionality of daily stress experienced by out-of-school youth in South Korea, and further confirm the relationship between profiles of daily stress and depressive symptoms. The moderating role of problematic smartphone use(PSU), as a negative coping strategy, and self-esteem, as an internal resource, will also be examined.

Methods:

This study used data from the 2015 Out-of-school Youth Survey(N=4,372), available from the National Youth Policy Institute in South Korea. Latent class analysis was employed to verify the distinct types of daily stress experienced by out-of-school youth. Multivariate moderation regression models were conducted to examine the moderating roles of PSU and self-esteem in the association between latent classes of stress and depressive symptoms. Daily stress was measured by 13 items representing stressful experiences experienced by out-of-school youths in their daily lives(e.g., conflict with parents, isolation from school friends, difficulty in finding a career path/job). Depressive symptom was assessed using three items(e.g., I feel lonely/depressed/empty). PSU was measured by four items(e.g., Unable to complete tasks because of my smartphone) and self-esteem was assessed using five-item(e.g., I’m worth it). Covariates(gender, age, financial situation, negative life events, time of leaving school, and institutional affiliation) were included in the model.

Results:

Four latent classes were identified: low-stress(54.2%), friend/career stress(29.9%), family/financial stress(10.4%), and multidimensional stress(5.5 %). In the PSU moderation model, youths in all three classes showed statistically significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than those in the low-stress class. The size of the relationship between PSU and depression was lower for all classes compared to the low-stress class. In the self-esteem moderation model, adolescents in the friend/career and multidimensional stress classes had higher levels of depressive symptoms than youths in the low-stress class. Furthermore, self-esteem alleviated youth’s depression in the friend/career stress class compared to the low-stress group, indicating a greater protective effect of self-esteem on depression for the friend/career stress class.

Conclusions and Implications:

Study results confirmed the multidimensionality of daily stress among out-of-school youth in South Korea by identifying four distinct classes of daily stress. Additionally, results suggest that PSU is a risk factor for out-of-school youth’s depressive symptoms, whereas self-esteem functions as a protective factor. These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions that address the specific mental health needs of out-of-school youth, by promoting positive coping strategies such as enhancing self-esteem and healthy use of smartphones. Ultimately, this study may shed light on the importance of human-centered intervention for out-of-school youth’s mental health.