Does moving home in childhood matter for mental health?

Moving home is often said to be one of life’s most stressful events. But what does it mean for young people’s mental health?

A recent study has found that people who moved home frequently when they were growing up were more likely to feel a lack of control over their own lives in adolescence and have poorer mental health in adulthood – but only if they also experienced downward social mobility.

What the researchers looked at

Researchers from the Centre for Demographic Studies in Spain analysed data from around 9,000 participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study to see how people’s sense of agency (locus of control) was linked to moving home and to changes in their position on the social ladder when they were growing up.

Using information about their parents’ occupations and the number of times they had moved during childhood, the researchers organised study members into different groups. They examined how teenagers’ locus of control at age 16 varied across the groups, based on their responses to a series of questions.

What the study found

The researchers found that moving down the social ladder had more of a bearing on 16-year olds’ sense of agency than moving home did. Compared to teenagers who had experienced no social or residential mobility, teenagers who had experienced downward social mobility were more likely to believe their life was determined by external forces (external locus of control) rather than their own actions (internal locus of control).

This was true regardless of how many times they had moved home. However, these feelings grew stronger when the loss of social status was coupled with moving home. Teenagers whose families had moved three or more times and moved down the social ladder had the lowest levels of internal locus of control.

For teenagers who had experienced upward mobility, moving home once or twice during childhood appeared to boost their sense of agency. This wasn’t true for those who had moved three or more times. The researchers suggest there is a ‘sweet spot’ where some experience of relocating, when combined with upward social mobility, helps teenagers’ build resilience, fostering a greater sense of agency.

The researchers also looked at the possible longer-term implications for people’s mental health, using information from study members at age 34. Those who had experienced both downward mobility and frequent home moves when growing up were more likely to have poor mental health in adulthood. This finding stood, even when taking account of the influence of adolescent locus of control on adult mental health.

Why this research matters

This important new evidence shows how different types of instability in childhood may contribute to adult mental health, particularly when combined.

Commenting on the policy implications for the research, lead author, Dr Riccardo Valente (Centre for Demographic Studies), said: “Policies aimed at minimising forced residential relocations, such as stronger tenant protections or better access to affordable housing, could lessen the psychological impact of childhood mobility. Additionally, providing resources to families experiencing downward mobility can help maintain educational consistency, strengthen community ties, and offer psychological support to preserve children’s sense of agency.

“Ultimately, addressing the dual challenges of frequent mobility and class instability could enhance adolescent development and reduce long-term health disparities rooted in early experiences.”

Read the full paper

‘Moving homes, changing perspectives: How residential and social mobility in childhood shape internal locus of control and adult mental health’ by Riccardo Valente and Sergi Vidal was published in Social Science Research.