People who suffer from a wide range of conditions Moving for 15 years According to a new study by researchers from Aarhus University (Denmark), the University of Plymouth (UK) and the University of Manchester (UK), people with dementia are 40% more likely to develop depression later in life.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, looked at nearly all residential settings. 1.1 million people They were born in Denmark between 1981 and 2001 and lived the first fifteen years of their lives in the country.

He then followed these individuals into adulthood and discovered that at least 35,000 of them still lived in the area. Denmark They were later diagnosed with depression.

As part of a detailed analysis, the study supported existing evidence by showing that people who lived in poor neighborhoods during childhood were more likely (about 10%) to develop depression as adults.

However, for the first time it has been shown that childhood mobility experiences (either between or within deprived neighbourhoods) are also associated with significantly higher rates of depression in adulthood.

Children who move between the ages of 10 and 15 specifically have one. 41% more likely to be depressed than non-mobile people If a child moves two or more times between the ages of 10 and 15, the risk increases to about 61%. This is a stronger effect than growing up in a deprived neighborhood.

This led the researchers behind the study to conclude that a stable home environment (in terms of location) during childhood can provide some form of protection against future mental health problems.

Professor Clive Sabel, Professor of Big Data and Spatial Sciences at the University of Plymouth and former Director of the Big Data Centre for Environment and Health at Aarhus University, is the lead author of the study: “We know that there are a number of factors that lead to someone developing a mental health condition. However, this is the first evidence to suggest that moving to a new neighbourhood during childhood is one of them, and we think the figures we see could be the tip of the iceberg. During these formative years, children build their social networks through school, sports groups or other activities. Helping people overcome these challenges,” he says.

Studies around the world have shown that children who move frequently from birth to mid-adolescence are more likely to experience negative outcomes, including suicide attempts, violent crime, mental illness and substance abuse. While the study focused on a large portion of the Danish population, the study authors say they expect to find similar results in many parts of the world.

“This study highlights the importance of global policies that enable and support stable childhoods, but are sensitive to regional and cultural identities,” adds Professor Sabel. “However, based on our findings, we also believe that certain groups of young people are at greater risk and that foster children may face additional stressors and, like other children, may need additional support to prevent the development of mental health conditions later in life.”