Moving in Childhood Contributes to Depression

[MsAmerica]

I found this mind-boggling.

Moving in Childhood Contributes to Depression, Study Finds
A study of more than a million Danes found that frequent moves in childhood had a bigger effect than poverty on adult mental health risk.
By Ellen Barry

Researchers who conducted a large study of adults in Denmark, published on Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found something they had not expected: Adults who moved frequently in childhood have significantly more risk of suffering from depression than their counterparts who stayed put in a community.

In fact, the risk of moving frequently in childhood was significantly greater than the risk of living in a poor neighborhood, said Clive Sabel, a professor at the University of Plymouth and the paper’s lead author. “Even if you came from the most income-deprived communities, not moving — being a ‘stayer’ — was protective for your health,” said Dr. Sabel, a geographer who studies the effect of environment on disease.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/17/health/moving-childhood-depression.html

Frequent house moves put kids at risk of depression as adults
Children who move once between the ages of 10 and 15 are 41% more likely to be diagnosed with depression in adulthood, compared with those whose families don't move, researchers found. And kids who move twice or more at that age are 61% more likely to develop depression, results.
https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2024/07/18/frequent-house-moves-kids-risk-depression-adults/9221721314727/

Frequent Childhood Relocations Linked To 40% Higher Risk Of Depression In Adulthood
https://www.medicaldaily.com/frequent-childhood-relocations-linked-40-higher-risk-depression-adulthood-471986

Frequent Moving in Childhood Linked to Later Depression
https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/07/frequent-moving-in-childhood-linked-to.html

I wonder if it's what you regard as 'normal'. It's clearly hard if you move and everyone else in your new school has known everyone else since the year dot.

Every time I moved it was to another area filled with more TCKs. It was normal as far as I could see. It wasn't until much later I realised most people didn't move around every couple of years.

I can relate to all that and I never moved, not even within the same area, and stayed at the same schools all my life. I think there's more to it than moving. Not that it can't be a contributer for some people if it affects them that way, of course. (While I didn't physically moved my parents did when I was a newborn, so I did grow up outside of my culture, which I think has had a big impact).

I have regrets that I've often moved on from people with the assumption people are neutral about my presence in their life. I think I've hurt feelings this way quite a few times and I wish I had realised people actually value me and I do have things to offer.

I think only being exposed to the same community can be slightly limiting but you need to start with a solid foundation and gradually expand outward. I also think knowing you had a set of circumstances of which you are partly the product is really helpful, have pride whatever you came from.

I went to 3 primary schools, but we’d settled by the time I was in high school. Leaving my first school was devastating for me - I had a great group of friends and was happy and out-going. In the second school, in my class there were 3 girls who didn’t want me in their friend-group, and 20+ boys. For the year I was there I became what would now be called a trans boy!
By the time I got to the third school I was a withdrawn sullen kid who just wanted to read books and be left alone by everyone. Reading’s been my escape ever since. I really could’ve done with therapy at age 10, I’m confident that’s when my depression started, along with severe anxiety at separation from both parents (at different times). My parents didn’t break up, they were working to make a better life for us, and I always knew they loved me, but the moves messed me up. Other things have messed me up more as an adult, the moves were the start for me though.

This is my experience. Plus distant relationship with df as he prioritised his own career progression over everyone else.

This

I totally 'get' this.

I moved from my childhood home when I was 17 and it kickstarted horrendous anxiety - I felt like my stability had been pulled from under me and I still dream of that house weekly.

Very interesting post.

I once tried to count the number of different places I’d lived in from birth - 18 and at a conservative estimate (those I definitely know about) it came to 13! The result of poverty and living in rented accommodation in the 60s, 70s and 80s - very insecure living conditions and some really dire hovels.

Our dc have only ever known one home, till they moved out for uni, then to live with partners. We’ve lived here for 32 years and I can’t help thinking that it’s given them (and me!) the feeling of stability I never had as a child.

Validating.
I left the house in which I was born aged 12 and it really felt like the end of a golden age, with everything being just a bit bleak and lacklustre after that. We only moved a stone's throw away so I stayed in the same school and retained all friends, school place, familiar local haunts and memorable places. But the special magic and comfort of my home was irrevocably lost, both literally and, in some mystical way, my soul's home. I wilted terribly and 'recovery' was slow. All my friends completely 'got it' so I think we all had some kind of innate understanding that 'moving house = sadness and loss' as a universal truth.

We moved when I was a child. I was happy at the school I went to. It was a new build and I liked it. I remember going to my new school. It was old, in a village and everyone knew each other. I felt like an intruder. I remember crying. The secondary school I went to was awful. I didn’t learn anything and I was bullied. I always felt different after we moved. My school years were a disaster and when I left I messed about with cannabis. I found some people who accepted me but they weren’t really my friends.

Moved 3 countries in my life. Son too.

No problem at all.

It's not about moving countries, it's about you are about it.

That's an interesting point, although I'm not sure I agree. For me, there was a major move when I was about 13 - but we stayed in touch by writing. And then, later with another move at 17.

You could look at it in two ways. One is that maybe people then were willing to work harder to maintain friendships. Or, possibly, what are these supposed friendships that are dependent on the internet? Do people really believe that all these Facebook connections are actual friends?

I suppose I did have a place I thought I was "from." But when the town changes, and the people you loved are gone - what then?

As a child we moved on average every 18 months, I hated it so did my sister. As adults we both crave stability and my last house I lived in for 9 years and this one for 17 and have no plans to move again .