National Survey of Adolescent Males-1988 and 1990-91

Investigators: Freya L. Sonenstein, Joseph H. Pleck, & Leighton Ku

The National Survey of Adolescent Males 1988 and 1990-91 (NSAM) is a two-wave, longitudinal study conducted between 1988 and 1991. The survey followed young men from adolescence, the period of initiation of sexual activity and other risk behaviors, into the beginning of young adulthood, a time when sexual activity is often at its highest. This dataset includes data from both Wave 1 (1988) and Wave 2 (1990-91) of the survey. In 1988, a nationally representative sample of 1,880 never-married, non-institutionalized males ages 15 to 19 living in the contiguous United States was surveyed. The original sample of 1,880 males was drawn as a multistage area probability sample that oversampled for Blacks and Hispanics. The study's primary objective was to determine adolescent males' behaviors, education and knowledge concerning human sexuality, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases. Wave 1 data were collected between April and December 1988. The primary mode of data collection was face-to-face interviews. The most sensitive topics (e.g., substance use, risky sexual behaviors) were assessed with confidential, written self-administered questionnaires. Extensive personal histories of sexual activity and contraception use were gathered, as well as respondents' personal perceptions of the various costs and benefits of contraceptive use and fathering children. Information on school attendance and recent employment history were also included. Wave 2 of NSAM, which is also referred to as the Follow-up Survey of Young Men (FSAM), was conducted between November 1990 and March 1991, when respondents were generally between the ages of 17 and 22. Of those respondents that participated in Wave 1, the follow-up rate was 89 percent (N=1,676). Data collection procedures were similar to that of Wave 1, with the use of face-to-face interviews and self-administered questionnaires.

National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW)

Investigators: Research Triangle Institute

The Administration on Children, Youth, and Families and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation have undertaken the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). NSCAW makes available, for the first time, nationally representative longitudinal data drawn from first-hand reports of children and families or other caregivers who have had contact with the child welfare system. Data from service providers are also collected. NSCAW is the first national study to provide detailed information on the experiences of children and families with the child welfare system and to collect measures of well-being for this population. The NSCAW is designed to address the following questions: What paths do children follow into and through the child welfare system? What factors affect investigation, services, placements, and length of involvement? What are the long- and short-term outcomes for children and families in the child welfare system in terms of safety, well-being, and permanence? The target population for the NSCAW includes all children and families that enter the child welfare system. Two samples were drawn from the population in 92 participating county child welfare agencies throughout the nation. The CPS sample includes 5,501 children, who were between the ages of 0 and 14 years at the close of the investigation. All investigations for the sample were closed between October 1, 1999 and December 31, 2000. The second sample consists of an additional 727 children, who were in out-of-home care for about 12 months at the time of sampling. This second group, referred to as the One Year in Foster Care (OYFC) Sample, was selected to allow special analysis related to the experience of out-of-home care. Waves 2, 3, and 4 take place 12, 18, and 36 months after the close of the investigation. The NSCAW II study design essentially mirrors that of NSCAW I. The NSCAW II cohort includes 5,872 children, aged birth to 17.5 years old, who had contact with the child welfare system within a 15-month period that began in February 2008. Children were sampled from investigations closed during the reference period. The cohort of 5,872 children was selected from 81 of the original NSCAW 92 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) in 83 counties in 30 states that agreed to participate in NSCAW II. Retaining most of the NSCAW I PSUs will allow researchers to assess the change in context from the late 1990s, and enable longitudinal analysis of organizational measures such as staff turnover, climate, and work environment. Like NSCAW I, NSCAW II is a longitudinal study with multiple informants associated with each sampled child, to get the fullest possible depiction of that child. Face-to-face interviews or assessments were conducted with children, parents, and nonparent adult caregivers (e.g., foster parents, kin caregivers, group home caregivers), and investigative caseworkers. Baseline data collection began in March 2008 and was completed in September 2009. The second wave of the study, 18 months after the close of the NSCAW II index investigation, began in October 2009 and was completed in January 2011. At Wave 3, children and families were reinterviewed approximately 36 months after the close of the NSCAW II index investigation. The NSCAW II cohort of children who were approximately 2 months to 17.5 years old at baseline ranged in age from 34 months to 20 years old at Wave 3. Data collection for the third wave of the study began in June 2011 and was completed in December 2012.

National Survey of Children, 1976

Investigators: Child Trends, Inc.

The main purposes of this 1976 survey were to: assess physical, social, and psychological well-being of different groups of American children, and develop a national profile of the way children live and the care they receive. The sample was a multi-stage stratified probability sample of households in the continental U.S. containing at least one child in the age range of 7 through 11 years at that time (born between 1964 and 1969). Black households were oversampled. Data were gathered on 2,301 children, which represented 1,747 households. Interviews were conducted with the eligible child and the parent most capable of providing information about the child, usually the mother. A follow-up study of schools attended by the children was also carried out. In 1981, a reinterview survey was conducted with all of those children who were in a high conflict or disrupted family in 1976, and with a subsample of the others. Most of the background and outcome measures were repeated in the 1981 survey. In addition, new data were gathered on patterns of parent-child interaction and on outcome areas more relevant for teenage children, including dating and sexual activity, drinking, smoking, drug use, and delinquency. The data from the 1981 reinterview are also available from this collection. Note for users of DAAPPP Data Sets #01-B1DAAPPP data sets 01 through B1 are comprised of a User's Guide, SPSS syntax files (*.SPS or *.SPX) and raw data files only. Most of these datasets contain SPSS syntax files that use Job Control Language (JCL) from 1980s versions of SPSS-X. Because the syntax is old, the syntax files require editing to conform to the current syntax standards used by SPSS/Windows or SPSS/Unix. If you require technical assistance in using or editing these syntax files, please contact Sociometrics' Data Support Group at 800.846.3475 or socio@socio.com.

National Survey of Children, 1981

Investigators: Child Trends, Inc.

This is the second of the two waves of studies sponsored by the Foundation for Child Development and the National Institute of Mental Health. When weighted, the data constitute a national sample of children aged 12-16 in 1981. The information provided is based on reinterviews with a subsample of those originally studied in 1976 (documented separately as DAAPPP Data Set No. 37-38). The main purposes of the 1976 survey were to: assess physical, social, and psychological well-being of different groups of American children, and develop a national profile of the way children live and the care they receive. The sample was a multi-stage stratified probability sample of households in the continental U.S. containing at least one child in the age range of 7 through 11 years at that time (born between 1964 and 1969). Black households were oversampled. Data were gathered on 2,301 children, which represented 1,747 households. Interviews were conducted with the eligible child and the parent most capable of providing information about the child, usually the mother. A follow-up study of schools attended by the children was also carried out. In 1981, a reinterview survey was conducted with all of those children who were in a high conflict or disrupted family in 1976, and with a subsample of the others. A total of 1,423 children completed the 1981 reinterview, 1,036 whites and 337 blacks. At the time of this second interview, children in the sample were aged 11 to 16. Most of the background and outcome measures were repeated in the 1981 survey. In addition, new data were gathered on patterns of parent-child interaction and on outcome areas more relevant for teenage children, including dating and sexual activity, drinking, smoking, drug use, and delinquency. Users who want to conduct longitudinal analyses of the 1976 and 1981 data should order both DAAPPP Data Set Nos. 37-38 and 88-90. Note for users of DAAPPP Data Sets #01-B1DAAPPP data sets 01 through B1 are comprised of a User's Guide, SPSS syntax files (*.SPS or *.SPX) and raw data files only. Most of these datasets contain SPSS syntax files that use Job Control Language (JCL) from 1980s versions of SPSS-X. Because the syntax is old, the syntax files require editing to conform to the current syntax standards used by SPSS/Windows or SPSS/Unix. If you require technical assistance in using or editing these syntax files, please contact Sociometrics' Data Support Group at 800.846.3475 or socio@socio.com.

National Survey of Children: Waves 1, 2 and 3, 1976-1987

Investigators: Nicholas Zill, James L. Peterson, Kristin A. Moore, and Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr.

A three-wave longitudinal study was carried out by the Foundation for Child Development in 1976 (Wave 1) and by Child Trends, Inc. in 1981 and 1987 (Waves 2 and 3) in which the child was the focus of a personal interview with parents and children themselves. The purpose of Wave 1 was to assess the physical, social, and psychological well-being of different groups of American children; develop a profile of the way children live and the care they receive; permit analysis of the relationships between the condition of children's lives and measures of child development and well-being; and replicate items from previous national studies of child and parents to permit analysis of trends over time. Wave 2 focused on the effects of marital conflict and disruption on children. The third wave of data examined the social, psychological, and economic well-being of sample members as they became young adults. Further, for the first two waves, a teacher from the child's school answered questions on the child's academic performance and atmosphere.

National Survey of Children: Waves 1, 2, and 3, 1976-1987

Investigators: Nicholas Zill, James L. Peterson, Kristin A. Moore, and Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr.

In 1976, the Foundation for Child Development sponsored the first nationally representative survey of children to be conducted in which the child was the focus of study and was personally interviewed. The purpose of the survey was to assess the physical, social, and psychological well-being of different groups of American children; develop a profile of the way children live and the care they receive; permit analysis of the relationships between the condition of children's lives and measures of child development and wellbeing; and replicate items from previous national studies of child and parents to permit analysis of trends over time. The focus of the 1981 survey was the effects of marital conflict and disruption on children. The goals of this wave of the survey included developing a profile of the behavioral and mental health of children at various stages in the marital disruption process and examining the influence of child, parent, and family factors that are thought to influence the risk of childhood problems associated with marital disruption. Most of the background and outcome measures employed in Wave 1 were repeated in Wave 2. In addition, new data were gathered on patterns of parent-child interaction and on outcome areas more relevant for teenage children, including dating and sexual activity, drinking, smoking, drug use, and delinquency. For families that had experienced a marital disruption, the follow-up interviews contained a number of questions concerning the relationship between the child and the parent living outside the home. In addition, if the custodial parent's former spouse was not the child's father, questions were asked about the child's relationship with the former spouse. The purpose of collecting a third wave of data was to examine the social, psychological, and economic well-being of sample members as they became young adults. In particular, their sexual and fertility behavior were a focus of interest. Accordingly, numerous questions were included in the questionnaire regarding sexual activity, contraception, pregnancy, and childrearing. Further, the third wave queried the respondents on such areas as the receipt of child support and welfare; pregnancy decision-making; family receipt of welfare as the youth was growing up; the establishment of paternity; and attitudes regarding marriage, child support, and welfare. Wave 3 also included questions on health, employment, and children born to teenage mothers. Finally, data on the family's zip code in 1976 (Wave 1), 1981 (Wave 2), and 1987 (Wave 3) were added to the computer file to create the possibility of doing contextual analyses of the data.

National Survey of Contraceptive Use Among Women Having Abortions

Investigators: Rachel K. Jones, Jacqueline E. Darroch, and Stanley K. Henshaw, The Alan Guttmacher Institute

To explore the factors behind unintended pregnancies ending in abortion, in 2000-2001, the Alan Guttmacher Institute surveyed women having abortions about their contraceptive behavior during the month they became pregnant. Demographic information was also collected. One of the main goals of this survey was to determine the extent to which contraceptive non-use, and problems with methods, resulted in abortion.

National Survey of Contraceptive Use Among Women Having Abortions, 1994-1995

Investigators: Stanley Henshaw

The survey reports information from an Alan Guttmacher Institute survey detailing a broad range of characteristics of abortion patients, including socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, residence, childbearing intention, and contraceptive use prior to the pregnancy. The survey, part of a larger project to update contraceptive failure rates, obtained usable questionnaires from 9,985 respondents in a stratified national sample of 100 clinics, hospitals, and physicians' offices in all regions of the country.

National Survey of Families and Household, 1992

Investigators: J. Sweet, et al.

The National Survey of Families and Households Wave 2 1992-1994 is a five-year follow-up to the original interview, Wave 1, conducted during 1987 and 1988. The National Survey of Families and Households is a national sample survey that covers a wide variety of issues on American family life. A considerable amount of life history information was collected, including the respondents family living arrangements in childhood, the experience of leaving the parental home, marital and cohabitation experience, as well as education, fertility, and employment histories. These data permit the detailed description of past and current living arrangements and other characteristics and experience, as well as the analysis of the consequences of earlier patterns on current states, marital and parenting relationships, kin contact, and economic and psychological well-being.

National Survey of Families and Households, 1988

Investigators: James Sweet, Larry Bumpass, and Vaughn Call

The National Survey of Families and Households 1988 is a national survey designed to look at the causes and consequences of changes in American family and household structure. It was designed to address the limitations of previous studies on the same topic by focusing almost exclusively on family issues, covering a broad range of family variables, addressing issues of importance to researchers working from a variety of theoretical perspectives, sampling a large enough group to permit subgroup comparisons and reliable statistical estimation, and selecting a sample representative of the total U.S. population. The sample includes a main cross-section sample of 9,643 households plus a double sampling of blacks, Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, single-parent families and families with stepchildren, and cohabiting or recently married couples. The survey was designed to permit not only the testing of competing hypotheses concerning a variety of aspects of the American family, but also the description of the current state of the family. It was also designed to be the first round of a longitudinal design, while providing a cross-sectional look at American family life. Survey questions covered a wide variety of topics, including, for example, basic demographic information, life history information, family process, effects of divorce, and child custody and child support arrangements following divorce.