Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
New researchDevelopmental Timing of Housing Mobility: Longitudinal Effects on Externalizing Behaviors among At-Risk Youth
Section snippets
Present Study
The present study tested whether developmental timing of exposure to housing mobility exacerbates behavior problems beyond co-occurring changes in cognitive development and sociodemographic risks. Longitudinal data from a national probability sample of families involved in the child welfare system were used given the demonstrated risk for housing mobility in this population.16 Outcomes in the present study included repeated measurements of parent-reported behavior problems over a 3-year
Participants
Data were drawn from the first cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a nationally representative sample of families having come into contact with the child welfare system. The study surveyed families under investigation for child abuse and neglect. Data were collected 12, 18, 36, and 59 to 97 months after the initial assessment. This study included parent and child reports at baseline and 18- and 36-month follow-ups. Data from the 12-month interview were not included
Preliminary Analyses
Table 1 presents descriptive statistics for study variables and their intercorrelations. A similar distribution of recent moves was found in this sample as in prior research; most families reported no moves (70%), whereas 10% reported at least 2 moves within the past 12 months. To examine the validity of the indicator within this sample, associations between early mobility and family and child characteristics were examined. As expected, early mobility related to more enduring risks for housing
Discussion
The study represents one of the first empirical investigations into developmental timing effects of housing mobility on child outcomes over time. Hypotheses predicted that repeated relocation would relate to steeper increases in behavior problems, with larger negative effects for youth in developmental transitions. Findings suggest that frequent moves within the past year predict higher levels of behavior problems in preschoolers and relates to relative increases in externalizing symptoms in
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2018, Child Abuse and NeglectCitation Excerpt :Homelessness also delays reunification with parents among children already placed in foster care (Fowler et al., 2013). Charged with the responsibility of protecting children, the child welfare system struggles to address needs for safe and secure accommodations with long-term consequences for mental health and child development (Fowler, Henry, Schoeny, Taylor, & Chavira, 2014; Fowler, McGrath, & Henry, 2015). Little evidence guides the child welfare response to inadequate housing that contributes to risk for out of home placement (Fowler, Taylor, & Rufa, 2011).
This article is discussed in and editorial by Dr. Joan P. Gerring on page 138.
Clinical guidance is available at the end of this article.
This research was supported by award R03HD066066 (principal investigator, Dr. Fowler) from the Eunice Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NICHD or the National Institutes of Health.
Disclosure: Drs. Fowler, Henry, Schoeny, and Taylor and Ms. Chavira report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.