Flexibility of the home and residents’ psychological wellbeing

Abstract

Background

Flexible homes provide residents with choice and control in how they use and modify their homes to suit their changing needs, but the psychological benefits of flexibility for residents' wellbeing have been underexplored. This paper examines to what extent flexible homes support residents’ wellbeing, what architectural qualities (Architectural Flexibility) are important for wellbeing, and to what extent residents can use these qualities to make changes to home (Behavioural Flexibility) to achieve wellbeing.

Studies

Three studies were conducted to examine the relationship between flexibility of the home and residents' psychological wellbeing. Study 1 (N = 187) explored the association between Flexibility and wellbeing. Study 2 (N = 212) examined the mediating nature of the Behavioural Flexibility component in the relationship between Architectural Flexibility of the home and residents' wellbeing. Study 3 (N = 300) examined this relationship further by exploring the influence of residents’ individual factors of Capability and Motivation in the Study 2 model using the COM-B model of behaviour.

Results

Study 1 showed that residents’ perceptions of flexibility of their homes were positively associated with their hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing at home, explaining 21% and 15.3% of variance respectively. Study 2 showed that Behavioural Flexibility significantly mediated the relationship between Architectural Flexibility and hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. Among the three types of Architectural Flexibility explored in Study 3, the COM-B model of Availability of spaces at home explained the most variance in hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing, compared to Modifiability and Multifunctionality of spaces. In all models, COM-B components showed varying influence on wellbeing. The mediating nature of Behavioural Flexibility was confirmed in the COM-B model of Modifiability.

Conclusions

Flexibility in the built home environment and residents' behaviour of making changes to it is important for their wellbeing. Individual factors like residents’ abilities and motivations to engage with flexibility may need to be considered when designing flexible homes for wellbeing.