Residential mobility during adolescence: Do even “upward” moves predict dropout risk?

Abstract

This paper uses the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to investigate the impact of housing instability in adolescence on the likelihood of subsequent graduation from high school. Combining census data, self-reports, and information about respondents’ residential changes, we use the variation in the number of moves and neighborhood quality to predict whether participants obtain a high school diploma. Controlling for major predictors of housing mobility, students experiencing at least one move over a 12-month period have a roughly 50% decreased likelihood of obtaining a high school diploma by the age of 25. These associations are identified regardless of whether students move to a poorer or less-poor neighborhood. Our results carry implications for the development of housing policies and interventions designed for disadvantaged populations.

Compensation and other forms of accumulation in intergenerational social inequality

“…Their children also tend to lose their own social networks and peer groups as a consequence, and residential mobility has often been found to be detrimental to children's educational attainment (e.g., Haveman et al 1991;Metzger et al 2015). However, it may be that the lost social capital could be replaced by human or economic capital.…”

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

“…Youth exposed to multiple residential moves exhibit greater emotional, behavioral, and social maladjustment both immediately following housing transitions, and over time (Adam, 2004; Jelleyman & Spencer, 2008). Moves also relate with poorer educational attainment and greater likelihood of dropout (Cutuli et al, 2013; Metzger, Fowler, Anderson, & Lindsay, in press; Voight, Shinn, & Nation, 2012). Maladaptation seems especially pervasive for at-risk youth (Coley, Leventhal, Lynch, & Kull, 2013; Fowler et al, 2014; Hagan, Macmillan, Wheaton, 1996).…”

“…Verbal deficits accumulate over time and help explain subsequent socioeconomic educational gaps that endure into adulthood (Duncan, Yeung, Brooks-Gunn, & Smith, 1998). Poverty might be expected to explain academic deficits and behavior problems associated with housing mobility; however, research consistently shows effects of mobility beyond other risks, including socioeconomic status (Hagan et al, 1996; Metzger et al, in press; Ziol-Guest & McKenna, 2014). …”

The Consequences of Spatial Inequality for Adolescent Residential Mobility

“…Residential mobility is often viewed as a disruptive process in the lives of children and adolescents, as moving often means severing ties with friends, schools, and communities (Raviv et al 1990). An overwhelming body of literature suggests that adolescents who move tend to experience higher levels of psychological duress, perform poorly in school, and display higher levels of problematic behaviors relative to their residentially stable peers (Haynie and South 2005;Metzger et al 2015). As such, there is a long tradition of social science research aimed at identifying the factors that place some adolescents at a higher risk of moving than others (e.g., South et al 1998;Gasper et al 2010;Porter and Vogel 2014).…”