Houghton, Marie Margaret (2024) Home, adulthood, and psychological well-being: a mixed methods study of the meaning of house sharing after 30 years of age. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
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Abstract
In recent years, the number of UK adults living in house shares – i.e. living with housemates, rather than living alone or with kin – has increased, especially among people over 30 years of age. However, there has been little research into the impact such living arrangements have on adult identity construction or psychological well-being. This thesis presents four studies that used mixed methods to address this gap. In studies 1 and 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants who were house sharers aged 30 years or over. Both studies highlighted that experiences of house sharing can vary widely, ranging from very negative to very positive. The inability of house sharers to have full control over their living environment negatively impacted ability to feel at home and well-being for some participants. However, for other participants, the companionship they received from housemates facilitated feeling at home and supported well-being. Some participants felt house sharing precluded them from full adulthood. Studies 3 and 4 were both quantitative surveys. Study 3 was open to students at Birkbeck, University of London (N = 215). Study 4 targeted renters in the general population (N = 408). In both studies, analyses showed that house sharers did not face worse outcomes, compared to participants living in other household types, in terms of ability to feel at home or construct an adult identity, or in terms of psychological well-being. All four studies supported the conclusion that house sharing after 30 years of age is not, in itself, predictive of negative outcomes. The meaning and impact of living in a house share was instead found to be personal, subjective, and context-dependent. Additionally, it is argued that life course theory provides a more useful framework for understanding changes in the transition to adulthood than the theory of emerging adulthood.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Oct 2024 08:33 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Oct 2024 13:49 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/54442 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00054442 |
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