Transitions into and out of housing cost burden and their asymmetric effects on depressive symptoms: the moderating role of housing tenure

Objectives: This study uses an approach that estimates the asymmetric effects of transitioning into and out of housing cost burden on psychological health. Study design: We used data from 14 waves of the Korean Welfare Panel Study. Methods: We estimated an asymmetric fixed-effects model to examine whether transitioning into and out of housing cost burden is associated with depressive symptoms. Interaction models were used to assess whether these effects differ by housing tenure. Results: A standard fixed-effects model indicates that housing cost burden is associated with depressive symptoms (b = 0.126). However, the results of the asymmetric fixed-effects model suggest that transitioning out of housing cost burden reduces depressive symptoms (b = −0.171), while transitioning into housing cost burden is not associated with a change in depressive symptoms. These asymmetric effects of housing cost burden on depressive symptoms are more pronounced for renters than for owner-occupiers. Conclusion: The findings suggest that alleviating housing cost burden can improve the psychological well-being of individuals, particularly among renters.