Changes of household in childhood, when they are very numerous, can affect the health and well-being of that person, since they increase the chances of suffering problems such as mental illness, abuse of harmful substances and suicide attempts in adulthood, according to a study recently published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine .
To carry out the research, 1.47 million Danes born between 1971 and 1997 were followed, from their fifteen years to well into their forties. Likewise, the scientists had the information on each of the changes of residence that these people had experienced from birth to fourteen years of age and proceeded to associate these relocations – which could be with parents or without family – with age at the one that had occurred. Overall, 37% had changed homes at least once before their fifteenth birthday .
With all these data in hand, the researchers were able to study the correlation between these changes of home and the negative events that took place in adulthood of the people studied, and that occurred regardless of the socioeconomic level of the family – curiously , and contrary to what might be believed, after analyzing economic income, educational level and employment situation, they came to the conclusion that there was no greater risk in the most disadvantaged families -.
In this way, suicide attempts, violent crime, psychiatric illnesses, the abuse of substances harmful to health, as well as premature deaths – from natural and unnatural causes – were taken into account.
According to the research thesis, the risks of suffering adverse effects in adulthood were higher when individuals had moved frequently during childhood: with each additional move, the greater risk ; and even more so when these multiple transfers had occurred in the same year.
Due to all this, the study researchers, including Dr. Roger T. Webb, from the Center for Mental Health and Safety, University of Manchester (England), point out the need for “social and health services health, schools and other public agencies remain vigilant to the psychological needs of relocated adolescents, both families with resources and those most in need.
