The Simmons Longitudinal Study (SLS) is based at the Simmons College School of Social Work. The research project, which began in 1976, is one of the longest continuously running community studies in the U.S. and was funded by the National Institute for Mental Health until June 1, 2007. Currently the SLS is funded by a contract from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and has just received a grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Helen Reinherz has led the SLS in the role of director (principal investigator) for the length of the project. Over the past 31 years study researchers have followed one group of people as they’ve grown from five-year-old children entering kindergarten to adults starting their own lives and families. Respondents and their family members were interviewed at important life stages in order to follow their adaptation and development across the life span. All information provided is strictly confidential to protect the privacy of participants and their families.
The longitudinal project is unique in many aspects. The study began as a broad-based effort to determine behavioral, health, and family factors that identify preschool youth at risk for poor academic performance and adjustment in the early school years. The study group, with equal numbers of males and females, was comprised of every child who entered kindergarten in 1977 in one community school district. Throughout the history of our study, the goals have focused on developing and testing hypotheses about the development and course of behavior and emotional problems as well as positive development and advancing knowledge about the processes leading to good or poor mental health. Over the 31 year span of the study, specific aims have evolved to adapt to the changing life stages of our participants. The research project, however, has retained its central focus using a multidisciplinary approach to examine development, with the ultimate goal of providing findings for programs of prevention and intervention that can be implemented by multiple caregivers: parents, educators, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other health care providers.
Study researchers have published the findings in professional journal articles and book chapters (see Publications for complete list) and presented at many national and international conferences.
SLS Principal Investigator Helen Reinherz