Transitioning into and out of economic hardship and their effects on depressive symptoms: Moderating roles of housing tenure and educational attainment.

This study examines the asymmetric effects of economic hardship on depressive symptoms among Korean women. It focuses on whether transitions into and out of hardship have differing impacts on depressive symptoms and how these effects vary by socioeconomic status. This study used data from the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families (2007-2022). An asymmetric fixed effects model was employed to separately estimate the effects of transitioning into and out of perceived economic hardship on depressive symptoms. We also included interaction terms for housing tenure and years of education in separate models. Transitioning into economic hardship significantly increases depressive symptoms, with a stronger effect than transitioning out. Individuals with homeownership and higher education experience a smaller increase in depressive symptoms when transitioning into hardship compared to others. However, housing tenure and educational attainment do not moderate the effects of transitioning out of hardship on depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve the psychological health of women experiencing economic hardship.