Nearly one in three young adults suffers from depression, marking a significant rise in recent years. While childhood socioeconomic hardship is known to increase mental health risks, researchers have a limited understanding of how different patterns of housing instability throughout childhood shape long-term mental health outcomes. A study published in the Journal of Community Psychology provides new insights, demonstrating that the severity and timing of housing insecurity are related to mental health during the transition to adulthood.

Where a Research Gap Exists

A researcher at Rutgers University investigated whether different trajectories of childhood housing insecurity are associated with depression in emerging adulthood. Housing instability—which occurs when families lack continuous access to safe, stable, affordable housing—can include missed rent payments, evictions, multiple families living in a single unit, or homelessness.

Although previous research has linked childhood housing insecurity to short-term emotional problems, little is known about how varying patterns of housing instability from infancy through adolescence might relate to mental health during the critical transition to adulthood. Understanding these long-term associations could help identify young people at greatest risk and inform prevention strategies.

How the Research Was Conducted

The researcher analyzed data from 2,239 families participating in the Future of Families and Child Well-being Study, an NIH-funded longitudinal birth cohort study that followed children born in 20 large American cities from birth through age 22. The sample was limited to families in which the child remained in custody primary caregiver.

The most recent wave of data collection followed up with primary caregivers at years 1, 3, 5, 9, 15, and 22. At year 22, the study also interviewed the child, now an emerging adult. Caregivers reported whether children had experienced housing hardships in the previous year. Using repeated measures latent class analysis, the study identified distinct subgroups of children who experienced similar patterns of housing insecurity over time.

The researcher then examined whether these different housing trajectories were associated with varying rates of depression when participants reached approximately 22 years old, measuring depression using a validated diagnostic screening tool.

What the Data Revealed

Four distinct housing trajectories emerged. Most children (75.4%) experienced consistently stable housing throughout childhood. Three smaller groups faced different patterns of housing challenges: 5.4% experienced early childhood housing insecurity that subsequently stabilizes; 16.6% experienced moderate housing insecurity that increased slightly over time; and 2.6% endured severe housing insecurity in early childhood that declined over time but remained elevated compared to other groups.

The results showed that young adults who experienced severe early housing insecurity—even though their housing situations improved during middle childhood and adolescence—faced a 68% probability of depression at 22 years old. This was higher than the 36–39% depression rates observed among all other groups, including those with moderate ongoing housing instability. The findings suggest that severe housing insecurity during early childhood may create lasting mental health vulnerabilities, even if housing situations improve later.

Implications and Impact of the Study

This research challenges assumptions about the power of resilience and recovery from early adversity, demonstrating that severe housing insecurity in early childhood can have lasting mental health consequences even when a family's conditions improve. The findings point to a crucial window for prevention. More than 5% of U.S. children under 5 years old experience eviction each year. Additionally, one in three people in households receiving eviction filings are under the age of 15. Early intervention for families with children could prevent substantial mental health burden years later.

The study suggests that policies addressing severe housing insecurity for families with very young children may offer significant returns by reducing depression risk in young adulthood. Since depression during this life stage is associated with lower career satisfaction, reduced educational attainment, and difficulties forming stable relationships, addressing housing insecurity when children are youngest offers promise for promoting healthy development across the entire life course.

Citation

Marçal K. (2026). Trajectories of Childhood Housing Insecurity and Links to Emerging Adulthood Depression: A Repeated Measures Latent Class Approach. Journal of community psychology, 54(1), e70078. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.70078