Adverse Outcomes to Early Middle Age Linked With Childhood Residential Mobility

Abstract

IntroductionLinks between childhood residential mobility and multiple adverse outcomes through to maturity, and effect modification of these associations by familial SES, are incompletely understood.MethodsA national cohort of people born in Denmark in 1971–1997 were followed from their 15th birthdays until their early forties (N=1,475,030). Residential moves during each age year between birth and age 14 years were examined, with follow-up to 2013. Incidence rate ratios for attempted suicide, violent criminality, psychiatric illness, substance misuse, and natural and unnatural deaths were estimated. The analyses were conducted during 2014–2015.ResultsElevated risks were observed for all examined outcomes, with excess risk seen among those exposed to multiple versus single relocations in a year. Risks grew incrementally with increasing age of exposure to mobility. For violent offending, attempted suicide, substance misuse, and unnatural death, sharp spikes in risk linked with multiple relocations in a year during early/mid-adolescence were found. With attempted suicide and violent offending, the primary outcomes, a distinct risk gradient was observed with increasing age at exposure across the socioeconomic spectrum.ConclusionsThe links between childhood residential mobility and negative outcomes in later life appear widespread across multiple endpoints, with elevation in risk being particularly marked if frequent residential change occurs during early/mid-adolescence. Heightened vigilance is indicated for relocated adolescents and their families, with a view to preventing longer-term adverse outcomes in this population among all socioeconomic groups. Risk management will require close cooperation among multiple public agencies, particularly child, adolescent, and adult mental health services.

Self-harm risk between adolescence and midlife in people who experienced separation from one or both parents during childhood

“…However, whilst remaining cautious about making causal inferences from our observations, a speculative potential alternative explanation is that separation from both parents during early adolescence is a particularly harmful to the wellbeing of these young people, at a crucial time in their development as they move toward making the transition from childhood to adulthood. Another possible interpretation is that separation from both parents at this age is likely to entail residential relocation, which we have previously reported as being strongly linked with elevated risk for these two adverse outcomes ( Webb et al, 2016 ).…”

Family income inequalities and trajectories through childhood and self-harm and violence in young adults: a population-based, nested case-control study

“…This result suggests that any environmental, psychosocial, or sociocultural influences linked with low family income were likely to have a bigger impact on offspring's externalised than internalised aggressive behaviours. Studies examining other exposures such as parental psychopathology 11 and frequent residential mobility during adolescence 31 have also reported stronger links for violent offending than for self-harm.…”

The effects of childhood emotional abuse on aggressive obsessions among patients with obsessive compulsive disorder may be mediated by symptoms of depression and anxiety

“…Childhood mobility and physical abuse were significantly correlated in this study. Childhood mobility has been shown to increase the risk of suicide, violence and psychopathology [33]. It has been suggested that frequent childhood mobility is more common among individuals with low socioeconomic status and may be a sign of family malfunction [34].…”