Changing neighborhoods and school environments can be very traumatic for teenagers -- more so if the move is due to an already stressful situation. You might notice that the move affects your teenager in several ways. Understanding that moving is likely to be quite stressful for him can help you to support him before and after relocating.
Difficulty Adjusting
Vulnerable teens can experience agitation, depression, trembling, palpitations and twitching in response to a major life change, such as a move, according to PubMed Health. Teens may also display conduct disturbances. If your teen is experiencing any of these symptoms, consider getting him evaluated by a counselor, as he may be experiencing adjustment disorder as a result of the move. Reduce the chances of this occurring by teaching your teen coping skills to deal with the move and working with him to reduce stress in other areas of his life.
Feelings of Insecurity
Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to feelings of insecurity, as this age group is still working to establish their identity. When you move a teen to a new city, she is likely to experience periods of insecurity and anxiety as she works to make new friends in her new environment. She'll also have to cope with cultural changes, such as differences in popular clothing styles, or social mores being more liberal or conservative. Be sensitive to these challenges, and discuss them so that your teen sees you as a source of strong support.
Emotional Ups and Downs
Don't be surprised if your teen has buoyant feelings about the move one day and is sullen and depressed about the change the next day. It's normal for teens to experience occasional mood swings under any circumstances -- she is likely to have mixed feelings about the move, even if it will benefit the family financially. Give your teen time to do the "grief work" of saying goodbye to friends and breaking relationships, advises Lesia Oesterreich, extension family life specialist at Iowa State University. Allow your teen to express her feelings openly and without judgement during this time.
Helping Your Teen
Teens are much more likely to have a smooth adjustment period if the move has occurred for a positive reason, rather than something negative -- such as moving out because of divorce or because a parent has been incarcerated. University of South Carolina professor Fredric Medway, in a July 2010 article in "The New York Times," points out that children who move with a parent who is in the military often do well during a move because the military eases the transition to a new city. Give yourself time to do the same in order to ease your teen's anxiety about the move, and keep channels of communication open so that your teen feels comfortable sharing his feelings about the upcoming change.
