Latent Classes of Social Isolation and Adverse Experiences Among South Korean Young Adults: Implications for Depression and Mental Health Interventions.

Abstract

This study explored the patterns of social isolation and adverse experiences, and their relationship with depression among young adults. Social isolation was considered in two dimensions: internal isolation and external isolation. Data from 550 South Korean young adults, collected in the Survey on the Status of Socially Isolated Youth in Seoul by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, were used for this study. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was employed to identify homogeneous and mutually exclusive classes of adverse experiences (such as domestic and school violence, and unemployment) and social isolation. The LCA resulted in three profiles: (a) combined isolation (11.27%), (b) external isolation (47.27%), and (c) internal isolation (41.46%). The combined isolation profile experienced multiple severe adverse experiences throughout life, while the external isolation group was characterized by modest unemployment or difficulty finding a job, challenges in forming interpersonal relationships, and mental health issues. This class had the highest levels of external isolation and no internal isolation. The internal isolation class exhibited similar patterns of adverse experiences, with slight variations in the severity of those experiences. The internal isolation class was characterized by both internal and external social isolation, with the highest level of internal isolation among all classes. Depressive symptoms were found to be highest in the combined isolation group. The study demonstrated that screening for both dimensions of social isolation is important in social work practice and that practitioners and social workers should be aware of the challenges faced by young people with histories of severe multiple adverse experiences.