What Role Does Household Type Play in the Relationship between Anomie and Depression in Korean Young Adults?

1. Background and purpose
As many studies have shown that more than one in four Korean young adults is suspected of depression, the mental health of Korean young adults has reached a serious level amid unstable socio-economic conditions. Srole explains that a lack of socioeconomic stability increases the level of Anomie, which negatively affects mental health and increases depression levels. However, there is a lack of prior research data examining the relationship between anomie and depression in young adults. Moreover, the number of young single-person households is increasing these days in South Korea. They are mentally more vulnerable and have a higher risk of depression than multi-person households. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of anomie and household type of young people in South Korea and to verify the moderating effect of household type on the relationship between anomie and depression.

2. Methods
A survey on the Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Youths is included, which was conducted by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare among 3,018 young adults aged 19 to 34 in Korea. Anomie, an independent variable, was measured as the sum of seven questions composed of a four-point Likert scale. Depression, a dependent variable, was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D). The household type, a moderating variable, was processed into a dummy variable and the reference group was multi-person households. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis was conducted with SPSS 26.0 to verify the moderating effect.

3. Results
A total of 3,018 study subject was composed of 1,572 males (52.1%) and 1,446 females (47.9%) with an average age of 26.5 years (±4.5). The results of the study are as follows. First, Among the total of 3018 study subjects, single-person households accounted for 761 people (25.2%) and multi-person households accounted for 2,257 people (74.8%). Second, the level of depression in young adults was higher in single-person households(β=.049, p<.05) and households with a higher level of anomie(β=.124, p<.001). Also, there was a moderating effect of household type in the relationship between young adults’ anomie level and their depression(β=.046, p<.05).

4. Conclusion
Based on the study results, we suggest improving and expanding support policies for young adults in Korea to lower their Anomie level. Also, mental health literacy education should be provided to young adults to enhance their understanding and awareness of the concept of mental health itself and mental health management skills in an unstable society. It will help them to decrease their Anomie level and ultimately decrease their depression. Establishing mental health literacy education for young adults will contribute to lowering the overall level of Anomie nationwide by reducing health inequality and laying an important foundation for developing health policies and smoothing the operation of the health system. Lastly, it is necessary to expand public services and strengthen the effectiveness of the services to prevent and treat depression in young single-person households.