Korean Apartment Residents' Experiences of Local Social Relationships and Their Effects on Mental Health and Well-Being

Place, People, and Health: Korean Apartment Residents' Experiences of Local Social Relationships and Their Effects on Mental Health and Well-being Naeun Gu A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2019 Reading Committee: Robert Mugerauer, Chair Jeffrey Hou Christopher Campbell Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Built Environment © Copyright 2019 Naeun Gu University of Washington Abstract Place, People, and Health: Korean Apartment Residents' Experiences of Local Social Relationships and Their Effects on Mental Health and Well-being Naeun Gu Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Robert Mugerauer Department of Urban Design and Planning How can neighborhood environment affect residents’ mental health and well-being? In the broad context of understanding this mechanism, this dissertation focuses on the residents’ social relationships based on the neighborhood and their effects on mental health and well-being. Concentrating on the experiences of the apartment residents in Pangyo, Seoul metropolitan area, Korea, this study discusses and seeks answers to the following questions: 1) what are the nature/characteristics (essences) of experienced local social relationships of residents in the neighborhood which consists of multi-layered high-rise apartment complexes; 2) how do spatial characteristics of such residential settings contribute to the experiences of local social relationships; and 3) how do residents’ experiences of local social relationships from their everyday living environment contribute to their mental health and well-being. Through a phenomenological research, including dialogical-conversational interviews and thematic analysis, the discourse of twenty-eight women residents about their years of experiences in the neighborhood were explored. Except for the relations established through local institutions, participants formed their relations with their neighbors by repetitively encountering them in and around the apartment complexes. The spatial settings of apartment complexes, however, did not actively support these place-based encounters because of the highly compartmentalized spatial structures with a short moving line. Thus, the places of possible encounters were generally limited to the common use spaces which participants had to pass through in the course of their everyday lives — such as the elevators, and the entrance areas of the buildings and the underground parking lots. The local social relations experienced by participants have both positive and negative effects on their mental health and well-being. In other words, local social relationships are multifaceted and have complex relationship with health. Participants found that the existence of neighbors and interactions with them contributed to their mental health and well-being. They received emotional social support, which helped them cope with daily stress and keep positive mood, from their intimate neighbors and generally positive relationships with neighbors. They also received diverse instrumental support from their local social networks thanks to the physical proximity and related immediacy. Participants had mostly shallow relationships with their neighbors and further they had generally low sense of belonging to their everyday living place, but these experiences did not seem to have strong effects on their mental health and well-being within the socioeconomic context of this neighborhood. However, the superficiality of social relationships which primarily centered around participants’ children rather than themselves, was experienced as stressful. These relations seemed to have negative effects on mental well-being, interlinking with the competitive children education and related comparisons. The general social comparisons between neighbors, beyond the education issue, also made participants feel inferiority and stressful. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………… iv List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………. vi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………... 10 1.1 Research Background………………………………………………………………. 10 1.2 The Study Site……………………………………………………………………… 17 1.3 Research Objectives and Questions…………………………………………………21 1.4 Conceptual Clarifications……………………………………………………………23 1.4.1 Neighborhood or Residential Environment……………………………………23 1.4.2 Local Social Relationships…………………………………………………….24 1.4.3 Mental Health and Well-being………………………………………………...29 1.5 Personal Positionality………………………………………………………………. 31 1.6 Dissertation Organization……………………………………………………………32 Chapter 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN…………………………...34 2.1 Research Methodology………………………………………………………………34 2.1.1 Phenomenological Approach………………………………………………….34 2.1.2 Dialogical-Conversational Interviews and Close Observations………………38 2.1.3 Thematic Analysis…………………………………………………………….41 2.1.4 Case Study…………………………………………………………………….45 2.2 Research Design and Process………………………………………………………. 46 2.2.1 The Site………………………………………………………………………. 47 i 2.2.2 Participants……………………………………………………………………50 2.2.3 Interviews……………………………………………………………………. 58 2.2.4 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………60 Chapter 3. THE PLACE: APARTMENT COMPLEXES IN KOREA…………………62 3.1. Korean Apartments…………………………………………………………………62 3.1.1 Historical Background and Social & Cultural Characteristics………………. 62 3.1.2 Spatial Characteristics ………………………………………………………. 70 3.2 Pangyo: The Study Site……………………………………………………………...79 3.2.1 Socio-cultural Characteristics as a New Town………………………………. 79 3.2.2 Spatial Characteristics and Structural Elements………………………………83 Chapter 4. LOCAL SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD…........102 4.1 Themes: Essences of Local Social Relationships…………………………………. 102 4.1.1 Theme 1: Why Local Social Relations Work………………………………...103 4.1.2 Theme 2: Having Shallow Relations…………………………………………116 4.1.3 Theme 3: Making Comparisons with Neighbors…………………………….128 4.1.4 Theme 4: Living in a Micro-community with Other Place Values…………. 139 4.2 Reflections and Discussions………………………………………………………. 152 4.2.1 Characteristics of Local Social Relations and Community………………….152 4.2.2 Local Social Relations of Women with Children……………………………159 4.2.3 Comparisons and Conformity………………………………………………. 162 Chapter 5. SPATIAL EFFECTS ON LOCAL SOCIAL RELATIONS ……………… 170 5.1 Spatial Experiences of Participants…………………………………………………171 ii 5.1.1 Common Spatial Experiences………………………………………………. 172 5.1.2 Spatial Experiences by Different Groups……………………………………175 5.2 Reflections and Discussions………………………………………………………. 190 Chapter 6. CONTRIBUTIONS TO MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING .…… 196 6.1 Positive and Negative Effects on Mental Health & Well-being……………………196 6.2 Complexity in Local Social Relations and Mental Health & Well-being …………205 Chapter 7. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………207 7.1 Primary Findings……………………………………………………………………207 7.2 Contributions and Implications……………………………………………………. 211 7.3 Limitations and Future Studies……………………………………………………. 216 7.4 Concluding Remarks………………………………………………………………. 219 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………221 Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………. 241 Appendix B……………………………………………………………………………. 250 Appendix C……………………………………………………………………………. 252 Appendix D……………………………………………………………………………. 253 Appendix E……………………………………………………………………………. 255 Appendix F……………………………………………………………………………. 262 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1. A conceptual framework for navigating pathways and planning healthy cities…….13 Figure 1-2. Basic questions about dynamic relations……………………………………………22 Figure 2-1. Research paradigm and strategies…………………………………………………...34 Figure 3-1. A scene which shows a dramatic change of housing in Seoul………………………64 Figure 3-2. Apartment complexes in Seoul, Korea………………………………………………65 Figure 3-3. A comparison of the similar size apartment units…………………………………...71 Figure 3-4. Corridor type apartment buildings and direct-access type apartment buildings…….72 Figure 3-5. Comparison of spatial structures according to housing types……………………….78 Figure 3-6. Location of 1st and 2nd phase new cities in Korea………………………………….80 Figure 3-7. A map of Pangyo new town – east side and west side………………………………84 Figure 3-8. Aerial view of Pangyo new town……………………………………………………85 Figure 3-9. Neighborhood unit and walkability planning of Pangyo new town…………………86 Figure 3-10. 18 apartment complexes in east Pangyo…………………………………………...87 Figure 3-11. A map of the three apartment complexes…………………………………………. 89 Figure 3-12. Aerial view of the three apartment complexes……………………………………. 90 Figure 3-13. Complex G…………………………………………………………………………90 Figure 3-14. Neighborhood unit diagram of the study site………………………………………91 Figure 3-15. A public trail park which connects apartment complexes…………………………92 Figure 3-16. A vehicle control system at the entrance of Complex H…………………………. 92 Figure 3-17. Complex G & H enclosed with low walls and trees……………………………….93 Figure 3-18. Small shops along the community street between Complex G and I………………94 Figure 3-19. Small shops along the community street with Complex I………………………….94 iv Figure 3-20. The elementary school located at the neighborhood………………………………95 Figure 3-21. Outdoor plaza in Complex I……………………………………………………….96 Figure 3-22. Small outdoor gathering spot in Complex H………………………………………97 Figure 3-23. Playground in Complex G…………………………………………………………97 Figure 3-24. Indoor community center building in the center of Complex I……………………98 Figure 3-25. Indoor community center building at the corner of Complex H…………………. 98 Figure 3-26. Two entrances of a mixed-type apartment

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