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. 2024 Oct;53(10):2234-2250.
doi: 10.1007/s10964-024-02014-6. Epub 2024 May 24.

The Relation between Residential Mobility and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Adolescence: The Role of Subjective Moving Experience, Gender, and Friendship Quality

Juul H D Henkens  1 , Gonneke W J M Stevens  2 , Helga A G de Valk  3
Affiliations

The Relation between Residential Mobility and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Adolescence: The Role of Subjective Moving Experience, Gender, and Friendship Quality

Juul H D Henkens et al. J Youth Adolesc. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

Adolescent residential mobility can be a stressful life event, potentially aggravating internalizing or externalizing problems. However, the longitudinal effects of residential mobility are understudied and may be context-dependent. This study investigates the longitudinal associations between adolescent residential mobility and internalizing and externalizing problems. Additionally, this study examines for whom residential moves are most detrimental by including subjective moving experience, gender, and friendship quality before the move as moderators. Longitudinal data from 2,029 adolescents (51% female) from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were used (Mage [SD] at T1 = 11.1 [0.55], T2 = 13.6 [0.52], and T3 = 16.3 [0.70]). Results from stepwise multi-level random-effect models showed that adolescents who experienced an unpleasant move remained stable in internalizing problems, while others decreased over time. Adolescents who moved increased stronger in externalizing problems than adolescents who did not move, independent of whether they experienced the move as unpleasant. Gender and friendship quality before the move did not moderate the relation between residential mobility and internalizing or externalizing problem development. These results emphasize that residential moves in adolescence, especially when experienced as unpleasant, can have long-lasting negative effects on adolescent development.

Keywords: Adolescence; Friendship quality; Gender; Internalizing and externalizing problems; Residential mobility.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Externalizing problems for moving and non-moving adolescents. Predictive margins of externalizing problem development for movers and non-movers separately, including control variables
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Internalizing Problems for Moving Adolescents by Subjective Moving Experience. Predictive margins of internalizing problem development for moving adolescents who experienced the move as unpleasant and for those who did not separately. The development of non-moving adolescents was added for comparison, but not included in this interaction model
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Internalizing Problems by Moving and Gender
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Externalizing Problems by Moving and Gender
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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