Stress of moving home on a regular basis may drive youngsters to illegal drug use

Published on Tuesday 7 February 2012 00:00

Children who frequently move house are more likely to suffer poor health, research has suggested.

Moving several times before the age of 18 can have a negative impact on overall health, cause psychological distress and increase the likelihood a child may use illegal drugs.

The research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and taken from a West of Scotland study, included data for 850 people, followed-up for a period of 20 years. By the age of 18, some 59 per cent had moved house once or twice, while one in five had moved at least three times.

Only 20 per cent of those surveyed had stayed in the same house during their childhood.

Children of single parents or those with step-parents were significantly more likely to move home, as were those with two or three siblings.

Those with four or more brothers and sisters were more likely to stay put.

Lead author Dr Denise Brown, from the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow, said: “For many people, moving house is a positive experience, as it may lead to improved family circumstances.

“But for some family members, especially children, moving can be stressful and may lead to poor health outcomes and behaviours in adulthood.

“The negative effect on health in adulthood appears to be somewhat accounted for by a high number of school moves.

“This suggests that support should be given to children during a family relocation to ensure that important social ties and relationships with healthcare professionals are not broken.”

Experts found that people who moved at least once had an increased risk of poorer overall health, and some of this could be down to changing schools.

Those who had moved three times or more were twice as likely to have used illegal drugs and nearly three times as likely to have had suicidal thoughts as those who stayed in the same house.

However, the risk of some these problems had subsided by the age of 36 and there was no effect on physical measures such as weight, lung function and blood pressure.

The study included analysis of physical health such as weight, waist to hip ratio – which is considered to be especially important for diseases such as diabetes – lung function and blood pressure, as well as taking into account any long-term health issues, the state of the person’s mental health and their behaviour in terms of drinking and drug use.

Professor Alison Leyland, also of the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, said: “Illicit drug use during adolescence and adulthood was independently associated with the frequency of house moves during childhood – even after taking account of parental background and levels of affluence and the number of school moves.”

The research was drawn from people taking part in the West of Scotland Twenty-07 study, which has been used as the basis for a number of reports.

But the experts said there was no reason to believe the effect on long-term health would not be replicated across the UK.

The research was funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health Directorates and the Medical Research Council.

Comments

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antiparasite

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:08 PM

Is the alcohol drug barons paying the moderator on here?

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8

The Trogg

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:45 AM

I moved home 5 times by the time I was 14, not because of a chaotic lifestyle. Quite the opposite, the first move was because where we lived was compulsory purchased for the new town of Cumbernauld, the second was when my father was killed in an accident and my mother moved nearer to her family, the third time was when my mother remarried and the fourth and fifth were for better prospects for the family. At 63, I am not and never was dysfunctional and, in fact, achieved quite a great deal in my life.

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Logie88

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:06 AM

I think there is a logical fallacy in this research. Drug taking is associated with a chaotic lifestyle. It is also likely that parents who take drugs pass the habit on to their children. So the frequent moving is likely to be a result of drug taking, not the cause.

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Ancient Wisdom

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:02 AM

#5 Well said!

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noodle doodle

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:52 AM

"Moving several times before the age of 18 can have a negative impact " - incorrect, moving several times is just another symptom of the underlying causes - unstable family background, going into care etc. It maybe a useful indicator, but it's not a cause. If it was otherwise, you'd expect army kids to have the highest drug use of all which clearly isn't the case.

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Danielrober2

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:00 AM

I was aware of education and then hence social problems due to moving but I can believe that many other problems occur as well. I hope that good early identification and paid for professional support can help with this problem.

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Family guy

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 07:35 AM

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antiparasite

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:33 AM

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1

Charles Linskaill

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:13 AM

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