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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2021

01-12-2021 | Suicide | Research article

Lasting effects of residential mobility during childhood on psychopathology among Chinese University students

Authors: Yingzhe Zhang, Jeremy Coid, Xiang Liu, Yamin Zhang, Huan Sun, Xiaojing Li, Wanjie Tang, Qiang Wang, Wei Deng, Liansheng Zhao, Xiaohong Ma, Yajing Meng, Mingli Li, Huiyao Wang, Ting Chen, Qiuyue Lv, Wanjun Guo, Tao Li

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2021

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Abstract

Background

Residential mobility during childhood increases risk of psychopathology in adulthood and is a common experience among Chinese children. This study investigated associations between number and age of first move, etiological risk factors for psychopathology, and common mental disorders in adolescence and early adulthood.

Methods

The sample included 39,531 undergraduates (84.5% completion rate) age 15–34 years in their first year at a Chinese comprehensive university in annual cross-sectional surveys during 2014–2018. Common mental disorders measured using standardised self-report instruments. Data analysed using logistic regression models and interaction analysis.

Results

Half of all students experienced one or more moves of residence before age 15 years. Outcomes of Depression, Somatisation, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Hallucinations and Delusions, and Suicide attempts showed dose-response relationships with increasing number of moves. Other etiological risk factors, including childhood disadvantage and maltreatment, showed similar dose response relationships but did not confound associations with mobility. We found interactions between reporting any move and being a left-behind child on depression and somatisation; number of moves and younger age at first move on depression, somatisation, suicide attempts and hallucinations and delusions.

Conclusions

Residential mobility in childhood is associated with psychopathology in adulthood and this association increases with increasing number of moves. Mobility is also associated with childhood disadvantage and maltreatment but associations with psychopathology are independent of these factors. Multiplicative effects were shown for multiple moves starting at a younger age and if the participant had been a left-behind child.
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Metadata
Title
Lasting effects of residential mobility during childhood on psychopathology among Chinese University students
Authors
Yingzhe Zhang
Jeremy Coid
Xiang Liu
Yamin Zhang
Huan Sun
Xiaojing Li
Wanjie Tang
Qiang Wang
Wei Deng
Liansheng Zhao
Xiaohong Ma
Yajing Meng
Mingli Li
Huiyao Wang
Ting Chen
Qiuyue Lv
Wanjun Guo
Tao Li
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-03018-9

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