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. Recently the SLS has been funded by contracts from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and by a grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study was also recently awarded a research grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. That project beginning in 2009 is entitled, "Factors Promoting Good Adult Functioning in Adolescents with Suicidal Ideation."
Over the past 33 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. Dr. Helen Reinherz has led the SLS in the role of director (principal investigator) from the beginning of the project. On July 1, 2010 Angela Paradis assumes the position of Project Director with Drs. Reinherz and Giaconia continuing as consultants.
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 33 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.
PROJECT HISTORY
The Simmons Longitudinal Study has evolved as participants have grown over the years. Goals and research questions have been modified as participants have grown from children entering kindergarten to young adults starting their own families. Researchers have gathered information on the study group at different time points, focusing on important developmental stages in childhood, adolescence, and through the transition to adulthood. Although the overarching title of the project is "Simmons Longitudinal Study: Adaptation & Development Across the Life Span", each major phase of the study used a specific name that was reflective of the age of the participants at the time. Below is a brief history of the Simmons Longitudinal Study, organized by each period and its major activities:
IPSCAR (Identifying Preschool Children at Risk) The original study group was comprised of every child who entered kindergarten in the fall of 1977 in one public school district in a Northeastern town in the U.S. The aim of this phase of the study was to identify preschoolers who would benefit academically and behaviorally from extra services in the early years of school. Each child participated in state-mandated testing of health and development three months before the start of school. The mothers of respondents also completed questionnaires assessing demographics, health history, development, and behavior of their children. In 1978, at the end of the kindergarten year, mothers and teachers rated the students on measures of behavioral and emotional functioning. Follow-up continued on each child who remained in the public school system. In grade 3 (1981), when the respondents were 9 years old, mothers were interviewed about their children. Additionally, the participants themselves and their teachers completed questionnaires regarding behavioral and emotional functioning.
ARIA (Adaptation and Resilience in Adolescence) Interviews were conducted with the adolescents, then age 15 in 1987, when most were in 9th grade. They reported about their current family and peer relations, social and extracurricular activities, and overall adjustment. In addition, mothers reported on their children's development and behavior. When mothers were not available to be interviewed, we spoke with another close family member. With parental consent, school records provided information about academic performance.
TTA (Transition to Adulthood) Researchers revisited with study participants in 1990 when they were 18 years old and most were seniors in high school. This was an important transitional time for respondents as they were thinking about future plans for work and education. The interviews gathered information on future goals, behavioral and emotional adjustment, current social and interpersonal functioning, and mental health problems such as depression and substance abuse and dependence.
EARP (Early Adult Research Project) In 1993, researchers spoke with respondents, then 21 years old, and their mothers or other close family member. This early-adulthood period was a varied developmental stage for the group: some respondents were away from home attending college, others were married and working full-time, and a number were living with their parents as they pursued their education and career paths. Similar to the age-18 data wave, diagnostic information on a variety of mental health problems was collected. In addition, the interviews focused on current education and career activities; family, peer, and romantic relationships; and other aspects of current behavioral and emotional functioning.
YARP (Young Adult Research Project) This phase of the project took place in 1998, when respondents were 26 years old. In addition to diagnostic information, participants reported on their current employment, functioning, and family relationships. In young adulthood, many members of the study group reported satisfaction with their education, careers, and families.
In the summer of 1999, two groups of respondents participated in an additional interview. Sixty-eight women were interviewed about the role of eating and weight in the lives of today's young women. A separate group of men and women participated in an in-depth interview about how they cope with adversities and stressful events in their lives and what they learned from those experiences.
Age 30 Study During the eighth wave of data, collected in 2002, researchers not only interviewed study members and their parents and close relatives, but for the first time ever interviewed spouses and partners. We continued to learn more from our participants about the health promoting and negative forces experienced in young adulthood. We also learned about the adult relationships they were forming with peers and family, their work challenges and accomplishments and from some about the new families they were creating.
