Housing disadvantage has potential to impact of the mental health of young people and families, which is of increasing relevance, given that increases in the cost of living are pushing more families into financial hardship. This thesis explored the experiences of young people and parents experiencing housing disadvantage, via both quantitative and qualitative methods. It is comprised of a quantitative literature review, a qualitative research paper, and a
critical appraisal.

The literature review synthesised 16 quantitative papers, evaluating the effects of
living with housing disadvantage on mental health. Narrative synthesis was used to compare the effects of housing quality, neighbourhood quality, residential instability and housing affordability. Results found that housing quality and residential instability were the most consistently associated with poorer mental health in young people. Findings for neighbourhood quality were inconsistent; poor neighbourhood quality was associated with mental health in some samples but not others. Significant relationships were not found between housing affordability and mental health in young people. Clinical implications and
recommendations are discussed.

The research paper explored parents’ experiences of living in poor quality housing. Eight participants were interviewed and transcripts were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Five themes were derived from the data: ‘Power imbalance and lack of control’, ‘Influences on the parent-child relationship’; ‘The interaction between physical and mental health’; ‘Protective factors and coping’; and ‘Fear of judgement and stigma’. Results demonstrate that parents’ are affected by housing conditions in a variety of ways, and that living in poor quality housing poses a risk to mental health and family relationships. Findings were considered in relation to previous literature and clinical recommendations suggested.

The critical appraisal provided a reflective account of the strengths and limitations of the process for the research paper. This included challenges with recruitment and engaging target populations, as well as personal challenges.