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:
Current Period (2003 -) During this period many articles are being completed using the full scope of data from early childhood to adulthood. As NIMH funding ended, new sources of private and public funds were secured (see Welcome page). The SLS team continues to search for predictors and patterns allowing us to distinguish positive and negative development with the goal of providing guidelines for parents and professionals in facilitating healthy lives as children grow.
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.
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 females
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 learn from those experiences.
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.
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.
ARIA (Adaptation and Resilience in Adolescence) Interviews were conducted with the adolescents, then age 15 in 1987, most of whom 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.
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 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.
