In January 2007, each student in FSoS 5014, Introduction to Quantitative Family Research Methods, was asked to summarize and evaluate information about a secondary data set used in the family field. The following summary was prepared by Kim Diggles.
Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (also called “The Survey of New Parents�)
Study purpose.
This study was designed to help inform not only interested researchers, but also relevant policy makers. Investigators hoped to shed light on four research questions:
1. What are the relationship dynamics between unmarried parents of a young child?
2. How are unmarried parents (especially fathers) able to provide and care for their young child together?
3. What is the well-fare of these young children born to unmarried parents?
4. How does the environment and family policy impact these families?
Principal investigators.
• Sarah McLanahan, Princeton University
• Christina Paxson, Princeton University
• Irwin Garfinkel, Columbia University
• Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Columbia University
Years during which data was collected.
Initial interviews were conducted between the years of 1998 and 2000. One-year follow ups were done between 1999 and 2001; three-year follow up interviews were conducted from 2001 and 2003. Although they are not yet available for public access, the five year interviews were conducted between 2003 and 2005. (The expected release date for this wave is summer 2008.)
Number of waves of data and ages of participants at each wave.
Parents were interviewed at four different points, the initial one being at the birth of their child. Follow-up interviews were done when the children were ages one, three and five.
Participants (type and number) from whom data were directly collected.
Participants for this study included 5,000 children born between the years of 1998 and 2000 and their biological parents, representative of American cities with 200,000 people or more. It also includes an over-sampling of non-marital births.
Types of data.
The interviews asked parents to answer questions about attitudes, relationships, parenting behavior, demographic characteristics, health (mental and physical), economic and employment status, neighborhood characteristics, and program participation. Many of the questionnaires were selections from larger previously established scales.
Strengths of the data set
• The high frequency of the follow-up waves allows researchers to track change with more accuracy.
• The study sampled both married and unmarried couples which provides researchers with a comparison group.
Weaknesses of the data set
• This study only sampled families from highly populated cities in the US. It gives little information about those families residing in rural parts of the country.
Accessibility of data to the research community
This particular data set doesn’t really have a quick turnaround when it comes to making information available to the public. For example, the third wave of the study was conducted between 2003 and 2005. However, its accessibility will be prolonged fro three years. However, once it is made available it seems relatively simple to access.
Usefulness for family research
This study and data set is highly useful for family research because it explicitly deals with family dynamics and provides information about the dynamics of a less traditional family structure. It also serves to highly inform family policy.
Web site and what kind of information is there.
http://www.fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/
The website provides a wealth of information about the study design and access to questionnaires and codebooks. It also gives information about some of the recent publications that have been written using the data. There is also information about upcoming revisions and data release dates as well as relevant family news. Something that I found to be extremely helpful was the section that provided data alerts, informing users about the limitations of the study and how they can possibly rectify these as they do their own research; this section is also updated regularly.
How one gains access to this data.
To gain access to the public database, one has to first register through the OPR Data Archive (http://opr.princeton.edu/archive/restricted/default.asp). Access to the contract database requires a person to submit $250 and copies of multiple documents including an abstract stating the purpose of your investigation, a statement of approval from an IRB and curriculum vitae.