“Returning to an autonomous, ordinary citizenship by standing alone” among low-income people in South Korea: a qualitative study

Abstract

Low-income people who receive economic support from the government hope to become self-reliant. However, their vulnerability to mental health problems and social isolation makes the process of becoming self-reliant difficult. Practitioners in the community can contact these people and help them become self-reliant. The self-reliance experiences of low-income people who receive government support is a unique psychological process that merits further attention. This study explored how low-income people who no longer receive government support in South Korea struggle to become self-reliant and return to an autonomous, ordinary citizenship by standing alone. An exploratory descriptive qualitative study was undertaken using in-depth interviews with 12 low-income people in South Korea who are currently self-reliant and no longer receive government assistance. Participants were found to be going through a four-stage process of struggling to become an ordinary citizen. These stages included: motivating, hardship, bearing, and returning. Based on these results, we suggest the substantive theory of “returning to an autonomous, ordinary citizenship by standing alone.” This study provides a holistic understanding of the lived experiences of low-income people attempting to pursue self-reliance. It also explores future directions for interventions to help them maintain quality of life while retaining autonomy.