Residential Mobility in Childhood and Union Dissolution Later in Life

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Demography
• Life Course Studies

Background:

• Childhood residential mobility's impact on life outcomes is understudied, particularly concerning later-life demographic behavior in Europe.
• Existing research suggests links between childhood moves and young adult outcomes, but long-term effects on partnership stability remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the frequency of childhood residential moves and adult union dissolution in Europe.
• To empirically test the confounding and mediation (family stress) hypotheses explaining this association.

Main Methods:

• Utilized residential and partnership histories from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).
• Applied discrete-time event history analysis to individuals born between 1945 and 1965 in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.
• Controlled for childhood background factors and examined the mediating role of family stress.

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between childhood moves (prior to age 17) and adult union dissolution.
• A clear dose-response gradient exists: adults with three or more childhood moves showed a 55% higher likelihood of union dissolution compared to non-movers.
• The association persisted after accounting for background factors, with family stress partially mediating the relationship.

Conclusions:

• Childhood residential mobility is a significant predictor of adult union dissolution in the studied European populations.
• The findings support both the confounding and family stress models, indicating that background factors and disrupted social ties contribute to the observed association.
• Spatial mobility in childhood can shape demographic trajectories and potentially contribute to the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage.