Children's residential relocation : its effect on personal and social adjustment
Date
1986
Authors
Farr, Vanessa Lynn
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Abstract
The relationship between children's residential relocation and their subsequent adjustment was considered in this study. Three major questions were addressed. The first question was concerned with a comparison of the Personal, Social, and Total Adjustment Scores obtained on the California Test of Personality by a group of transient children to those obtained by a group of their non transient peers. Subjects were male and female fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students representing seven local elementary schools. While the transient group scored lower than the non transient group on all three of the adjustment measures, statistical significance was not reached for any of the differences.
The second question was concerned with which specific factors of the relocation experience as assessed during individual interviews with transient subjects were the best predictors of Personal, Social, and Total Adjustment Scores. A multiple regression approach was employed. The distance of the move was the only significant predictor of the criterion variable Personal Adjustment. The number of times moved previously, the child's perception of the father's attitude toward the move, and the sex of the child were significant predictors of the criterion variable Social Adjustment. The child's perception of the father's attitude toward the move was a significant predictor of the criterion variable Total Adjustment.
The third question attempted to identify the concerns of transient children and their perceptions of the relocation experience as indicated by their responses to descriptive, open-ended interview questions. Thematic categories of responses were identified and discussed. The implications of the results of this study for counselling and for future research were considered.