Longitudinal mediating effect of social capital on the relationship between public housing and mental health: evidence from South Korea

While empirical studies have indicated that public housing and social capital are crucial in predicting individuals’ mental health, longitudinal research in this area is lacking. To address this gap in the literature, we utilized three-wave (T1–T3) data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study and applied a series of cross-lagged panel models to explore the longitudinal mediation impact of social capital on the association between public housing and mental health. 9,402 respondents aged 15–110 years completed assessments at all three points. The study results show that (a) public housing predicts subsequent higher social capital and lower mental health problems across all time points; (b) social capital and mental health have a cross-lagged association: higher social capital predicts lower mental health problems at a later time point, and vice versa; and (c) social capital has a longitudinal mediation effect on the relationship between public housing and mental health: T1 public housing was indirectly associated with T3 mental health via T2 social capital, even controlling for gender, age, educational attainment, household wealth, and regional characteristics. Our study highlights the mediating impact of social capital on the relationship between public housing and mental health. Therefore, public housing policy can further improve the mental health of residents if combined with social capital.