Longitudinal study of transitions in four stages of life

About this book

This is a longitudinal study of adults in four pretransitional stages (i.e., anticipating and preparing for normally occurring life cycle changes). The study searches out commonalities and differences in coping processes among persons about to undergo four very different types of transition, and also aims to contribute to the understanding of gradual changes over the lifecourse. The first two transitions examined are incremental (involving role gain) and the latter are decremental (involving role loss). The sample consisted of 107 males and 109 females at the following life stages: (1) high school seniors anticipating their first job/college/marriage; (2) young newlyweds preparing for parenthood; (3) middle-aged parents expecting a postparental or "empty nest" transition; and (4) an older group about to retire. The 216 participants resided in the same geographical subsection of a large metropolis, and were selected to be as homogeneous and representative of the middle and lower-middle class as possible. The data collection began in 1968. This phase consisted of a series of interviews and several structured instruments. The following information was solicited: (1) demographic and sociostructural data; (2) health history; (3) behavioral domain; (4) values and goals domain; (5) family, social networks, and social perceptions; (6) evaluation of life; (7) psychological domain; and (8) interview experience. Participants were followed up approximately 18 months, 5 years, 7 years, and 10 years after the initial data collection. The subsequent data collections repeated many of the questions from the initial study, and included additional questions to help assess changes over time. The Murray Center has acquired the paper and computer-accessible data on 109 female and 107 male participants. Paper data are also available on microfiche.