Housing mobility and cognitive development: Change in verbal and nonverbal abilities

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of housing instability on verbal and nonverbal cognitive development among at-risk children and adolescents involved in the child welfare system. Frequent residential changes threaten child mental health, especially among low-income families. Little is known regarding disruptions to cognitive growth, specifically the impact on verbal and nonverbal abilities. The study tests whether developmental timing of housing mobility affects cognitive development beyond individual and family risks. A nationally representative study of families (n = 2,442) susceptible to housing and family instability tracked children and adolescents aged four to 14 years (M = 8.95 years) over 36 months following investigation by the child welfare system. Youth completed standardized cognitive assessments while caregivers reported on behavior problems and family risk at three time points. Latent growth models examined change in cognitive abilities over time. Housing mobility in the 12 months prior to baseline predicts lower verbal cognitive abilities that improve marginally. Similar effects emerge for all age groups; however, frequent moves in infancy diminish the influence of subsequent housing mobility on verbal tasks. Housing instability threatened cognitive development beyond child maltreatment, family changes, poverty, and other risks. Findings inform emerging research on environmental influences on neurocognitive development, as well as identify targets for early intervention. Systematic assessment of family housing problems, including through the child welfare system, provides opportunities for coordinated responses to prevent instability and cognitive threats.

Verbal Abuse Related to Self-Esteem Damage and Unjust Blame Harms Mental Health and Social Interaction in College Population

“…Such brain-based information 12 would aid our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying directed 26 and hierarchical 23 networks featuring traumatic experiences, psychological health, and social interaction patterns. Fourth, we did not explore the relationship between perceived verbal abuse and neurocognitive abilities 132,133 . Future studies measuring both factors will reveal network-based interactions not only between perceived verbal abuse and psychological health and social interaction patterns (explored in this study) but also between abuse and both cognitive ability and academic achievement.…”

Cumulative, Timing‐Specific, and Interactive Models of Residential Mobility and Children's Cognitive and Psychosocial Skills

“…Other studies have assessed residential mobility during specific developmental periods, although again results do not form a clear pattern. For example, some work has found mobility to be more strongly predictive of academic and behavioral functioning among preschoolers and adolescents than school‐age children (Anderson, Leventhal, & Dupéré, ; Fowler et al., ), whereas others have found stronger effects of mobility on behavioral functioning for school‐age children (Gillespie, ), and still others have failed to identify developmental timing differences in associations between mobility and children's academic, behavioral, and emotional functioning (Coley, Leventhal, Lynch, & Kull, ; Fowler et al., ).…”

Housing and Child Well Being: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice

“…The role of safe, stable housing circumstances as a determining factor in child health and well being is well established in theory and research (Bronfenbrenner, ; Fowler et al., ; Leventhal & Newman, ). Families experiencing unsustainable rent burden, residential mobility, inadequate and unsafe housing, and literal homelessness struggle to meet the physical and emotional needs of children and adolescents; yet, relatively little evidence guides scalable approaches to prevent and mitigate instability and promote healthy child development (Fowler and Schoeny, in press).…”