Examining Links Between Eviction Stress and Child Mental Health Issues

Importance Eviction and housing loss are pressing public health concerns. Understanding how caregivers’ stress about eviction or loss of housing relates to specific childhood psychiatric issues across development is important. Objective To examine associations between stress about eviction or loss of housing and caregiver-reported child depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and behavioral problems, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Design Cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative survey, collected between July 2022 to January 2023. Setting United States. Participants Over 36,000 caregivers and children from a national survey. Main Outcomes and Measures Caregiver-reported child depression, anxiety, ADHD, and behavioral problems. Generalized linear mixed models were used to test associations with stress about eviction or loss of housing. Results Analyses from a sociodemographically diverse sample of 36,710 children indicated that stress about eviction or loss of housing was associated with 4-35% increased odds of internalizing psychopathology (i.e., depression and anxiety) in children. Relations were sometimes moderated by age, with stronger associations for younger children. No consistent relations emerged between stress about eviction or loss of housing and ADHD or behavioral problems after adjustment. Conclusions and Relevance This study provided new insights into how stress about eviction or loss of housing is differentially associated with internalizing versus externalizing psychopathology across child development. Prospective longitudinal research is still needed to fully understand these complex relations over time. Findings underscored the importance of policies and interventions to address housing instability and its mental health consequences for children. Key Points Question What are the associations between caregivers’ stress about eviction or housing loss and children’s mental health outcomes across different ages? Findings In this cross-sectional study of 36,638 children, stress about eviction or housing loss was associated with increased odds of internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression; anxiety), with stronger relations seen for depression in younger children. No consistent associations were found with ADHD or behavioral problems after adjusting for different sociodemographic factors. Meaning Stress about eviction or housing loss may differentially impact children’s mental health outcomes, particularly internalizing symptoms in younger children. This underscores the importance of housing stability interventions for child mental health.