For the study, scientists used data about every child born in Denmark between 1971 and 1997. They found that the most sensitive period for moving home was between the ages of 12 and 14. Those that moved house at this age had the highest increased risk of a variety of negative outcomes.
The researchers grouped the negative outcomes into three categories:
(1 ) Mental illness: any psychiatric diagnosis, such as depression and anxiety. Also including substance misuse.
(2) Violence: including suicide and criminality
(3) Death: dying at an earlier age than expected.
Dr. Roger T. Webb, who led the research, said: “Childhood residential mobility is associated with multiple long-term adverse outcomes. Although frequent residential mobility could be a marker for familial psychosocial difficulties, the elevated risks were observed across the socioeconomic spectrum, and mobility may be intrinsically harmful. Health and social services, schools, and other public agencies should be vigilant of the psychological needs of relocated adolescents, including those from affluent as well as deprived families.”
The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Webb et al., 2016).
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Category(s):Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
Source material from Psyblog
