• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.173-201
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• 2017

This study examined the degree of socioeconomic deprivation in the areas of material hardship, health, housing, employment, and social network among people using debt relief programs. The sample, 209 individuals, was recruited from major agencies offering debt relief programs, including Seoul Bankruptcy Court, Credit Counseling and Recovery Service, and Seoul Welfare Foundation. Data were collected through in-person interviews in 2016. The sample was compared in terms of the level of deprivation with the general population and the low-income group, extracted from the Korea Welfare Panel Study. The debtors group demonstrated a substantially higher level of deprivation on all the dimensions examined. For example, the proportion of people who suffered from hunger was 37.8% in the debtors group compared to 6.7% in the low-income group. The proportion of people who had suicidal ideation in the last 12 months was 57.9% compared to 19.2% in the low-income group and 2.7% in the general population. The level of deprivation was different by chapter choice of consumer bankruptcy. Policy and practice implications of the results were discussed.