# Residential Mobility, Housing Instability, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and the Moderating Role of Neighborhood Contexts

## TL;DR

Frequent residential moves increase children's risk of adverse childhood experiences, and neighborhood conditions can either worsen or protect against this risk.

## Contribution

The study examines both directions of the relationship between ACEs and frequent moves and incorporates neighborhood-level moderators.

## Key findings

- All ACEs significantly predict frequent residential moves, with parental divorce/separation having the largest effect.
- Supportive neighborhoods reduce the odds of moving and provide protective benefits against adversity.
- Frequent moves more than double children's risk of ACEs, but supportive environments can mitigate this impact.

## Abstract

Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue?
Housing instability, measured by frequent residential moves, is closely linked to children’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences, a well-established determinant of long-term physical and mental health.By using nationally representative data, this study connects residential mobility to population-level patterns of childhood adversity in the United States.

Housing instability, measured by frequent residential moves, is closely linked to children’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences, a well-established determinant of long-term physical and mental health.

By using nationally representative data, this study connects residential mobility to population-level patterns of childhood adversity in the United States.

Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health?
The findings show that frequent residential moves more than double children’s risk of experiencing adverse childhood experiences, highlighting housing instability as a major but underrecognized public health risk factor.Neighborhood conditions and access to social supports shape how housing instability translates into childhood adversity, underscoring the importance of place-based health determinants.

The findings show that frequent residential moves more than double children’s risk of experiencing adverse childhood experiences, highlighting housing instability as a major but underrecognized public health risk factor.

Neighborhood conditions and access to social supports shape how housing instability translates into childhood adversity, underscoring the importance of place-based health determinants.

Public health implications—What are the key implications or messages for practitioners, policy makers and/or researchers in public health?
Public health screening and prevention efforts should incorporate housing instability indicators, such as frequent moves, to better identify children at heightened risk of adversity.Policies that reduce forced mobility and strengthen neighborhood supports, including rental assistance and community investment, may yield substantial public health benefits for children.

Public health screening and prevention efforts should incorporate housing instability indicators, such as frequent moves, to better identify children at heightened risk of adversity.

Policies that reduce forced mobility and strengthen neighborhood supports, including rental assistance and community investment, may yield substantial public health benefits for children.

Housing instability, particularly frequent residential moves, has been associated with poor developmental outcomes, yet its relationship with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) remains insufficiently understood at the national level. This study addresses this gap by investigating how frequent moves shape children’s exposure to ACEs, and whether community and household contexts influence these effects. Using the 2020–2021 National Survey of Children’s Health data, we ask two questions: (1) Do children who experience frequent moves face greater risk of ACEs? and (2) Do neighborhood and metropolitan contexts mitigate or exacerbate this association? Our contribution is twofold. First, we examine both directions of the relationship: how ACEs predict frequent moves and how frequent moves increase ACE exposure. Second, we incorporate contextual moderators, including supportive neighborhoods, safety, amenities, and urban residence, to provide a more nuanced account of how environments shape resilience or vulnerability. Using logistic and negative binomial regression models, we find that all ACEs significantly predict frequent moves, with parental divorce/separation showing the largest effect. Economic hardship is also a strong predictor of frequent residential mobility, and while food or cash assistance is associated with higher mobility, it moderates the hardship-mobility association. Supportive neighborhoods are associated with lower odds of moving. In turn, frequent moves more than double children’s risk of ACEs. Supportive and safe neighborhoods provide protective benefits, while detracting elements exacerbate adversity. We conclude that reducing frequent moves and strengthening neighborhood supports are critical strategies for mitigating childhood adversity.