earticle

영어

Objectives: Income inequality in Korea has been increasing since the economic crisis in 1997 and was reported to be the highest in Asia in 2016. Based on the health inequity perspective, inequality leads to health problems among its members, and the path is usually explained by a psychosocial factor playing the mediating role. This study examined the influence of economic deprivation on problem drinking, with a specific focus on understanding the path between economic deprivation and problem drinking. Methods: The study utilized the 8th Wave of Korean Welfare Panel (2013), using a sample of 13,553 adults. Main variables included the experience of economic deprivation, perceived income inequality, depressive mood, and problem drinking. Results: Results from path analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between experiences of economic deprivation and problem drinking, and the relationship was mediated by depressive mood. Another path indicated that the economic deprivation influenced perceived income inequality, which led to increased problem drinking via higher depressive mood. The path between perceived income inequality and problem drinking was non-significant, confirming the notion that perceived inequality influences one’s health via psychosocial factors. Conclusion: The study results supported previous studies examining the effect of deprivation on one’s health. Implications of the study findings include the need to examine problem drinking from a broader perspective by understanding the influence of socioeconomic factors.