Moving home and mental health

Moving home can be a big upheaval and is often ranked as one of life’s most stressful events, along with other major changes like losing a loved one or going through divorce. But how does moving home during childhood impact mental health in adolescence and beyond?

Using information from BCS70, researchers have found that teenagers of your generation whose families had moved were more likely to feel they lacked control over their own lives – but only if they had also experienced downward social mobility.

What we asked you

When you were growing up, we collected information about your family’s home moves. We also asked your parents about the different jobs they’d had – information which can be used to work out whether your family had moved up or down the social ladder during your childhood.

As part of the Age 16 Survey, Youthscan, you completed a questionnaire exploring your sense of personal agency – how much you believed your lives were determined by your own actions rather than by external factors such as luck.

At age 34, you shared information about your mental health.

What the research found

A team of researchers in Spain found that teenagers’ sense of control over their lives was more closely linked to moving down the social ladder than moving home. Study members who had experienced downward mobility by age 16 were more likely to believe their lives were driven by external factors rather than their own actions.

This was true regardless of how many times they had moved home. However, this reduced sense of personal agency was strongest when loss of social status was coupled with moving home. Teenagers whose families had moved three or more times and moved down the social ladder had the lowest levels of internal sense of control.

Among teenagers whose families had experienced upward mobility, moving home once or twice during childhood appeared to boost their sense of control. But this wasn’t the case for those who had moved three or more times. The researchers suggest there is a ‘sweet spot’ and that experiencing some change in the physical home environment, when coupled with upward social mobility, can help teenagers’ to build resilience and fosters a greater sense of control.

The researchers also looked at the possible longer-term implications for mental health. They found a direct link between poor mental health at age 34 and the combined experience of downward mobility and frequent home moves in childhood.

Why this research matters

This new evidence shows how different types of instability in childhood can impact mental health, particularly when combined. The researchers suggest that policies aimed at minimising forced residential relocations, such as stronger tenant protections or better access to affordable housing, could be beneficial.

Commenting on this, lead author, Dr Riccardo Valente said:

“Ultimately, addressing the dual challenges of frequent mobility and class instability could enhance adolescent development and reduce long-term health disparities rooted in early experiences.”

Read the full research report

Moving homes, changing perspectives: How residential and social mobility in childhood shape internal locus of control and adult mental health by Riccardo Valente and Sergi Vidal was published in Social Science Research in 2025.