Social trust and depression among young adults in Seoul, South Korea: The moderating effect of traditional gender role attitudes

This study examined the association between social trust and depression among young adults in Seoul, South Korea, and investigated the moderating role of traditional gender role attitudes. Data were obtained from 592 young adults aged 19-34 years who participated in the 2022 Seoul Mental Health Survey. A cross-sectional secondary analysis was conducted using SPSS 28.0 and Hayes' PROCESS Macro (Model 1), controlling for gender, educational attainment, economic activity, and living arrangement. Social trust was negatively associated with depression (B = -0.210, p < .001), whereas traditional gender role attitudes were positively associated with depression (B = 0.111, p = .001). The interaction between social trust and traditional gender role attitudes was significant (B = 0.189, p < .001), explaining an additional 2.5% of the variance in depression (ΔR² = .025). The negative association between social trust and depression was significant when traditional gender role attitudes were low (mean - 1 SD) or average, but not when they were high (mean + 1 SD). Johnson-Neyman analysis indicated that the association remained significant when traditional gender role attitude scores were below 2.92. These findings suggest that the association between social trust and depression varies according to traditional gender role attitudes. Social trust may be more strongly associated with lower depressive symptoms among young adults with lower endorsement of traditional gender role attitudes.