A recent study has revealed that the housing crisis disproportionately affects younger adults and renters, exacerbating mental health issues among these groups.
The research team, led by Rowan Arundel at the University of Amsterdam, used data from the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS) panel to find a significant increase in housing unaffordability in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2019. Their findings demonstrate a link between unaffordable housing and lower mental health scores, with renters and younger adults being the most affected.
“The research provides a valuable empirical examination of trends in housing affordability stress within the Dutch context and explores how unaffordability may relate to mental health and wellbeing. Crucially, the study emphasizes the strong moderating role of tenure and age in such dynamics. The findings point to a growing housing affordability crisis and demand greater attention to problematic outcomes beyond access to housing itself,” the researchers write.
“As housing unaffordability and precarity intensify, a greater share of the population is likely to face substantial financial stress with potentially serious attendant consequences on mental and psychological well-being.”
These findings, published in the International Journal of Housing Policy, shed light on the intersection of housing policies and mental well-being, urging policymakers to consider the broader implications of the housing crisis.
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Don’t leave me out. Approaching 60, disabled by abusive psychiatry, housing issues pushing me over the edge. Why does it matter what age group is Most affected? Why don’t people spend the money that they spend on studies on actually helping people? I guess that’s too easy.
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