The long-term effects of housing insecurity in young adulthood on subsequent material hardship, physiological and mental health

IF 4.9 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Social Science & Medicine Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117761

Mary K. Roberts , Aarti C. Bhat , Andrew Fenelon

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Economic and material hardship, including housing insecurity – limited or uncertain availability or access to safe, quality, and affordable housing – is strongly linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes among adolescents and adults. However, data limitations and the inherent selectivity of housing insecurity have hindered comprehensive analysis of its long-term effects on physiological and mental health. This study uses data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to construct a sample of participants who experienced housing insecurity between the ages of 18–26 (Wave III) to a suitable control group using propensity score matching. We assess the effects of housing insecurity on (1) material hardship at Wave IV (ages 24–32), (2) allostatic load (AL) and depression symptoms at Waves IV and V (ages 33–43), and (3) the change in allostatic load and depression symptoms from Wave IV to V. Further, we evaluate whether effects differ by sex. Experiencing housing insecurity is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing material hardship at Wave IV and significantly worse depressive symptoms at both Waves IV and V. The treatment effects are more pronounced among women, with housing insecurity being linked to a significant increase in allostatic load from Wave IV to Wave V exclusively for women. Our results provide crucial support that housing insecurity is not just an outcome of economic hardship but a cause of it in the future, with downstream effects on health and well-being, particularly for women.

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来源期刊

Social Science & Medicine PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

5.60%

发文量

762

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Social Science & Medicine provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social science research on health. We publish original research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews, position papers and commentaries on health issues, to inform current research, policy and practice in all areas of common interest to social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers. The journal publishes material relevant to any aspect of health from a wide range of social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography, policy, psychology, and sociology), and material relevant to the social sciences from any of the professions concerned with physical and mental health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy and organization. We encourage material which is of general interest to an international readership.