The Influence of Residential Mobility On Developmental Trajectories of Substance Use From Mid-Adolescence to Early Adulthood

Introduction: A key characteristic of emerging adulthood (ages 18-26) is residential mobility. While moving out of home and starting college have been linked with increased substance use, no studies have tested Arnett’s (2005) hypothesis that frequent moves during emerging adulthood will promote substance use regardless of living situation. This study examines the effects of residential mobility on changes in the frequency of binge drinking and cannabis use from mid-adolescence to early adulthood. We also consider whether any effects differ between men and women.

Method: Participants were 570 youth interviewed four times (biennially) between 2005 and 2011. The present study utilises data from ages 16 to 27. Measures of substance use were past-year frequency of binge drinking and using cannabis. Residential mobility was the number of different addresses in the past two years.

Results: Two-level multi-level models examined relationships of within-person change in drinking and cannabis use to within-person change in residential mobility over the transition to adulthood. Results showed that mobility was most strongly associated with drinking and cannabis use during adolescence, from ages 16 to 19. By the mid-to-late 20s, mobility was  associated with less substance use, especially for binge drinking. These associations did not differ between men and women. Descriptive analyses of participants’ living situations at different ages showed that 70% of youth who moved often (twice or more) between ages 16 to 18 were in lone-parent households, compared with 20% for those who did not move at these ages. By ages 20-21, frequent movers were most likely to be living with roommates, and by 25-27 with either roommates or a partner.

Conclusions: These patterns suggest that mobility arising from developmentally normative emerging adult transitions such as leaving home and going to college is not as strongly associated with substance use as mobility that occurs in the family context at younger ages. Future analyses will consider whether positive and negative parenting styles mediate between mobility and substance use during adolescence.