Housing cost, consistency, and context and their relationship to health

Housing insecurity is associated with myriad negative outcomes for individuals and communities. Less understood is the indirect and direct relationships between specific types of housing insecurity and health. Using Swope and Hernandez's (2019) 4C's of housing insecurity, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), structural equation modelling, and binary logistic regression, we examine the relationship between different types of housing insecurity and mental and general health. We find housing cost independently decreases health outcomes while consistency insecurity indirectly affects health by increasing cost burdens. Most forms of housing cost, consistency, and context insecurity have independent and significant negative associations with short-term (12 month) and medium-term (seven to eight years) mental health. This suggests policymakers and advocates should place greater emphasis on housing assistance as an entitlement and cash assistance that vulnerable populations can use to address the cause of their specific type of housing insecurity.

Automated summary

This study examines the relationship between housing insecurity and health. The findings suggest that housing cost and consistency insecurity have negative impacts on mental health. Therefore, policymakers and advocates should focus on providing housing assistance and cash assistance to address housing insecurity for vulnerable populations.