Defence

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On the move... with children

Side story: How Defence helps...

By Christine McLeod

A new three-year contract valued at $300 million has been signed with Toll Transport to provide an enhanced removal and storage service for Australian Defence Force and Defence civilian personnel. The Parliamentary Secretary is pictured here alongside Toll Transport's Company Secretary Bernard McInerney at the contract signing ceremony. Photo by SGT Mark Dowling

Most of you who read this understand all too well the thought and effort that goes into helping children adjust after moving house. Having been a RAAF wife for 28 years and putting much thought into this each time we moved, I am now carrying out my doctoral research in psychology on the factors such as resilience in children, which help children make this adjustment.

Australia's population has been reported as being one of the most mobile in the world. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that over 40% of all Australian children moved at least one time in the census period from 1996 to 2001. In round numbers this means that almost 6 million Australian children moved at least once during that time, with 600,000 of those moving more than two times.

The effect of residential relocation on children has been an area of research for several decades. It was initially studied by the American military - more recently education departments, the corporate world and social sciences have undertaken studies.

Conventional wisdom says moving home is stressful and negatively impacts children's development, commonly appearing on lists of stressful events in a child's life - along with associated issues of changing schools and finding new friends. However, academic research has shown that this is not a foregone conclusion and the consequences are mixed and depend on a variety of factors.

However, even if relocating is not necessarily a uniformly negative experience, the large proportion of Australian children moving each year would suggest there is still a significant emotional, social and academic cost that could potentially be alleviated.

Research suggests a range of factors can impact on how a child will adjust to a move. Factors such as family composition, number and distance of moves, background, reason for the move, and age and gender of the children have all been found to have some importance.

Resilience is a factor now being looked at in Australian research. Resilience is generally defined as the capacity to bounce back from adversity and it can apply to individuals, families and communities. While some aspects of resilience such as a person's temperament are inborn, others - such as useful skills and helpful beliefs - can be taught or developed.

The studies indicate there are three aspects to resilience in an individual and likewise a child's resilience:

• Individual differences such as thinking skills, a belief in yourself, temperament, self control and positive outlook.
• Positive and supportive relationships with parents and pro-social peers.
• Community resources and opportunities, including supportive teachers and participation in school and after school activities such as sport, church and clubs.

By studying these factors, possible areas for prevention and intervention may be developed to eliminate or reduce the level of risk for a child's relocation.

Although studies to date are inconclusive, there are some practical things parents and carers can do to give children some feeling of control over their situation, which studies have indicated will aid their adjustment.

• Tell your children about the move, the reasons for it and include them in the planning.
• Where possible let them join in choosing of the new house and be patient when they express a desire for the house with the bird-bath and ignore its tiny, dark kitchen!
• Explain your choices and give them some say over how they will decorate their new room.
• Make it an adventure and be enthusiastic yourself.
• Be honest and realistic about the impact it will have on them as far as changing schools and being further away from friends and family but emphasise the positive aspects and tell them how you will help them keep in contact. This may be particularly important in blended families where the move may mean seeing less of one biological parent.
• While moving is also an opportunity to throw out old things, try to minimise the number of changes your child has to undergo at any one time and don't get rid of old favourites too soon.
• For all children, try and maintain the same family routines, celebrations and activities as much as possible.

School and community can also make a difference. Working with the school and teachers to encourage your child to participate in school activities as well as joining clubs, sport or other interests can help build resilience that will help your child cope, not only with moving but also with the inevitable ups and downs that life will present them.

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