The Longitudinal Study of Generations: A Resource for Studying Family Relationships and Well-being Over the Life-Course

• In Event: 3434 - Secondary Data Sources for Research on Aging

Abstract

The Longitudinal Study of Generations is a multigenerational multi-time-point study that began in 1971 with nine repeated panels up to 2016. It consists of about 3,500 respondents from 418 three- and four-generation families. The original families were recruited within the Southern California region, but descending generations have dispersed around the country. What makes the study unique is not only its 45-year time span, but also that the representation of four family generations allows cross-cohort analysis of change. Spouses and siblings are also included in the study. Matches to the National Death Index provide mortality information for the two oldest generations. Principal constructs measured include intergenerational cohesion, conflict, and support, marital quality, opinions, attitudes, values, religious life, and physical, psychological, financial, and social well-being. The study was originally funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, and was subsequently funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Templeton Foundation. All waves are archived at the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging which currently has logged more than 4,000 unique users of the dataset http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACDA/studies/22100

Authors

• Merril Silverstein, Syracuse University

• Vern L. Bengtson, Univ of Southern California