Abstract
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.
본 연구의 목적은 빠르게 증가하는 가계부채가 중요한 사회적, 경제적 이슈가 된 현 시점에 과중채무자들의 생활상을 물질적 결핍과 사회적 결핍을 포괄하는 '사회경제적 박탈' 개념을 활용하여 조명하는 것이다. 본 연구는 채무조정제도를 이용하는 과중채무자들을 면접조사한 데이터(N=209)를 분석하였고, 한국복지패널의 일반집단 및 저소득집단과의 비교를 실시하였다. 연구결과는 과중채무집단이 일반인구 및 저소득집단에 비하여 생계, 고용, 주거, 건강, 사회적 관계 차원에서 모두 결핍수준이 월등히 높으며, 과중채무집단 내부에서는 개인파산집단의 결핍수준이 개인회생, 개인워크아웃, 기타집단보다 높은 것으로 나타났다. 결과를 토대로 과중채무자와 채무조정제도를 위한 제도적, 실천적 함의를 논의하였다.
