Single-person households among 20–30-year-olds in South Korea have surged to 40% of young adults by 2025. This study aimed how leisure constraints influence life satisfaction in South Korean single-person households aged 20–30, testing depression as a mediator. An online survey yielded 269 valid responses (63.2% male, 36.8% female). Leisure constraint levels were assessed using the 22-item Korean Leisure Constraints Questionnaire (KLCQ). Depession and life satisfaction levels among 20– 30-year-olds single-person households were surveyed by utilizing Korean Beck Depression Inventory (KBDI; α reliable), and Korean Satisfaction with Life Scale (KSWLS). The results indicated structural constraints ranked highest, such as facility shortages, program timing inconvenience, and congestion. Leisure constraints significantly and negatively predicted life satisfaction; they positively predicted depression levels, which in turn negatively predicted life satisfaction even after controlling for constraints. This confirmed partial mediation, with the direct effect persisting alongside the indirect path through depression. These findings suggest that structural leisure barriers' role in depression-mediated well-being erosion among young single-person households. Leisure professionals should expand public facilities, introduce evening/weekend programs for shift workers, develop solo-friendly community apps linking online-offline meetups, and integrate leisure with mental health services at youth centers—positioning leisure as core public welfare for preventing isolation.
Dong-Wook Cho (Thu,) studied this question.