Relocation and the Uproot of Social Capital: Insights from a Swiss Panel

Riccardo Valente , Centre d'Estudis Demografics CED (Autonomous University of Barcelona UAB)
Mattia Vacchiano, University of Geneva

This study lies in the hypothesis that residential mobility in childhood has enduring effects on processes of identity formation and social capital accumulation, all of which may affect individuals’ levels of psychological distress throughout the life course. It stands as the first attempt to study the implications of residential mobility for the self and social connections together, and how they may influence psychological distress over the life course. Our empirical contribution is based on data from the Swiss Household Panel (2013-2021), which allowed combining retrospective biographical memories with prospective longitudinal data of 6,090 individuals aged 16+. Hypothesis testing was run using structural equations and directed acyclic graphs. Preliminary results endorse the cumulative effects hypothesis showing that residential mobility during childhood becomes a risk factor for psychological distress only after a third move. It was found that residential instability influences the process of identity formation, especially if the relocation implies a change in the linguistic region. Finally, model outputs reveal that residential moves play a role in restructuring (rather than disrupting) social capital resources. In fact, the feeling of relying on supportive networks is not affected by residential moves unless these are accompanied by other traumatic events. Also, the negative impact on the frequency of contact with close friends is limited to the short-term, and fully recovered over time. Indeed, the linkages between residential trajectories and psychological distress are sensitive to adjustments for social mobility with members of families that move downwards being less able to re-build their social connections.

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 Presented in Session 85. Health, Wellbeing and Morbidity