This study aims to empirically examine how depression among patients with severe illnesses differs according to the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). To address the limitations of previous studies that have primarily explained depression among pat...
This study aims to empirically examine how depression among patients with severe illnesses differs according to the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). To address the limitations of previous studies that have primarily explained depression among patients with severe illnesses in terms of individual constitutional or treatment-related factors, this study applies an SDOH framework to analyze depression from a broader social and environmental perspective.
The study sample was drawn from the 19th wave of the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS). Among survey respondents, those who reported having received medical treatment for at least one of the four major categories of severe illnesses—cancer, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, or rare and intractable diseases—based on their primary diagnosis code as of December 31, 2023 were included. The final sample consisted of 1,240 patients, including 328 cancer patients, 407 patients with cardiovascular disease, 409 patients with cerebrovascular disease, and 96 patients with rare and intractable diseases.
The dependent variable was depression, measured using the total score of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Independent variables representing the social determinants of health included education level, employment status, low-income status, medical expenditure burden, housing conditions, food insecurity, living alone, and social capital (trust and reciprocity). Sex, age, and disability status were included as control variables. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 27.0, and descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis were conducted sequentially.
The results indicated that the regression model including social determinants of health showed a significantly greater explanatory power for depression compared to the model including only control variables. Among the social determinants of health, employment status, low-income status, medical expenditure burden, housing conditions, food insecurity, living alone, and social capital—specifically reciprocity—were found to have significant effects on depression.
The policy and practice implications of this study are as follows. First, to alleviate the economic burden faced by patients with severe illnesses, income protection systems, including sickness benefits, should be strengthened in the areas of employment, income, and medical expenses. Second, to improve housing conditions, daily life–based housing assessment indicators encompassing structural conditions, performance, safety, mobility, and psychological stability should be established beginning at the discharge planning stage, and short-term recovery-oriented housing should be provided when safe physical environments cannot be secured. Third, to enhance food security, nutritional status and dietary intake should be systematically assessed during discharge planning, and linkages to food and meal support through public and private community resources should be strengthened. Fourth, social networks should be activated through hospital–community linkages and the introduction of social prescribing to strengthen social capital. Fifth, standardized guidelines applicable to supporting patients with severe illnesses within community-based integrated care systems should be developed, and integrated support plans that incorporate social determinants of health should be established from the early stages of treatment.
This study has several limitations. First, the scope of severe illnesses was limited to four disease categories and did not encompass all types of severe illnesses. Second, structural determinants such as economic systems, social infrastructure, and structural discrimination and conflict were not sufficiently reflected. Third, due to the cross-sectional research design, causal relationships between variables could not be clearly identified. Future research should include diverse groups of patients with severe and chronic illnesses, apply multilevel models incorporating structural and environmental factors, and utilize longitudinal data from the Korean Welfare Panel Study.