Adolescence is a critical stage in which socioeconomic adversity becomes embedded in developmental processes and may extend into adulthood. This study examines multidimensional deprivation among adolescents in Seoul, South Korea, a context marked by intense educational competition and stark housing and neighborhood inequalities. Using data from the 2023 Seoul Child and Adolescent Survey (N=704), we applied Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to identify distinct deprivation profiles and logistic regression to assess their association with economic stress. Results revealed four classes: Non-deprived (68.8%), Living-environment deprived (16.3%), Educational–economic deprived (4.6%), and Multidimensional non-monetary deprived (10.3%). Notably, while income-based measures identified only 9.4% of adolescents as deprived, LCA uncovered 31.2% experiencing disadvantages through non-monetary pathways. Logistic regression showed that compared to the non-deprived group, adolescents in Classes 1, 2, and 4 were significantly more likely to report economic stress (odds ratios 1.8, 2.9, and 2.3 respectively). These findings highlight that non-monetary deprivation—such as deficits in housing, neighborhood, or education—can generate psychosocial stress at levels comparable to income poverty. Policies focusing solely on financial transfers may be insufficient; effective interventions must also address structural inequalities in housing, education, and neighborhood environments to promote adolescent well-being.

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