Residential mobility and socioemotional and behavioural difficulties in a preschool population cohort of New Zealand children
Abstract
Background: Findings regarding early residential mobility and increased risk for socioemotional and behavioural (SEB) difficulties in preschool children are mixed, with some studies finding no evidence of an association once known covariates are controlled for. Our aim was to investigate residential mobility and SEB difficulties in a population cohort of New Zealand (NZ) children. Methods: Data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure were examined for 313 164 children born in NZ since 2004 who had completed the Before School Check at 4 years of age. Residential mobility was determined from address data. SEB difficulty scores were obtained from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire administered as part of the Before School Check. Results: The prevalence of residential mobility was 69%; 12% of children had moved ≥4 times. A linear association between residential mobility and increased SEB difficulties was found (B=0.58), which remained robust when controlling for several known covariates. Moves >10 km and moving to areas of higher socioeconomic deprivation were associated with increased SEB difficulties (B=0.08 and B=0.09, respectively), while residential mobility before 2 years of age was not. Children exposed to greater residential mobility were 8% more likely to obtain SEB difficulties scores of clinical concern than children exposed to fewer moves (adjusted OR 1.08). Conclusion: This study found a linear association between residential mobility and increased SEB difficulties in young children. This result highlights the need to consider residential mobility as a risk factor for SEB difficulties in the preschool years.
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Of 313,164 New Zealand children who had completed a before-school check indicating socioemotional behavioral difficulties at four years of age, more than two-thirds (69%) had moved house since they were born and 12% had moved more than 4 times.
“Of 313,164 children who had completed a before-school check indicating socioemotional behavioral difficulties at four years of age, more than two-thirds (69%) had moved house since they were born and 12% had moved more than 4 times.”
From Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being (2023) · cites this paper as [108]
There was a linear association between residential mobility and increased socioemotional behavioral difficulties; children exposed to greater residential mobility were 8% more likely to obtain scores of clinical concern than were children exposed to fewer moves.
“There was a linear association between residential mobility and increased socioemotional behavioral difficulties; children exposed to greater residential mobility were 8% more likely to obtain scores of clinical concern than were children exposed to fewer moves (108).”
From Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being (2023) · cites this paper as [108]
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Review of the Impact of Housing Quality on Inequalities in Health and Well-Being
Howden-Chapman, P., Bennett, J., Edwards, R., Jacobs, D., Nathan, K., & Ormandy, D. (2023) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071521-111836 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Self-citationNathan, K., Robertson, O., Atatoa Carr, P., Howden-Chapman, P., & Pierse, N. (2022) · Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health · doi:10.1136/jech-2021-218509 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Nathan, K., Robertson, O., Atatoa Carr, P., Howden-Chapman, P., & Pierse, N.
- Affiliations
- Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
- University of Otago (NZ)
- National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- Venue
- Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2019-07-17
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 947-953
- ISSN
- 0141-7681 (ISSN-L)
- 0143-005X
- 1470-2738
- OpenAlex
- W2957523548
- Cited by
- 24
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 2.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Health Research Council of New Zealand (15-429)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Homelessness and Social Issues
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
- Keywords
- residential mobility, social-emotional problems, behavioral problems, preschool children, early childhood, socioeconomic deprivation, residential instability, risk factors, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, New Zealand children
- MeSH terms
- Child Behavior Disorders, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, New Zealand, Population Dynamics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Prevalence
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