Trajectories of Childhood Housing Insecurity and Links to Emerging Adulthood Depression: A Repeated Measures Latent Class Approach

Nearly one in three emerging adults experience depression. Past exposure to socioeconomic hardship increases risk, but little research investigates how disparate trajectories of childhood housing insecurity influence mental health in the transition to adulthood. Repeated measures latent class analysis in a sample of youth from families born in 20 large American cities (N = 2,239) identified four unique trajectories of housing insecurity from infancy to adolescence characterized by (1) consistently low housing insecurity (75.4%), (2) early childhood housing insecurity that subsequently stabilizes (5.4%), (3) moderate housing insecurity increasing slightly in adolescence (16.6%), and (4) severe early childhood insecurity that ultimately declines but remains elevated compared to other groups (2.6%). The fourth subgroup displayed significantly elevated risk for depression in emerging adulthood compared to other groups. Findings suggest that severe housing insecurity in early childhood, even with relative improvement over time, threaten long-term mental health. Addressing early housing insecurity offers promise for preventing depression and promoting healthy development in the transition to adulthood.