The goal in this research is to clarify the longitudinal course and cross- generational transmission of social patterns. A correlated aim is to understand the mechanisms that regulate the etiology, course, and cross- generational transfer of acting out, aggressive behaviors in individuals. The project involves a representative sample of men and women of a longterm longitudinal study who will be in their mid-twenties at this assessment, their spouses, and their offspring. The original longitudinal subjects have been observed since their own childhood -- one cohort began when the children were in the 4th grade, the other cohort begin when the children were in the 7th grade. The original sample has remained virtually intact over nine annual assessments, with minimal loss due to attrition (i.e., 99% of the living subjects in the two original cohorts were seen in the assessment wave in the 12th grade). Embedded in the original group were subgroups of persons and matched controls who, as children, were at high risk for subsequent behavioral problems. Special attention will be given in this study to the mechanisms that permit persons to escape the cycle of assaultive, aggressive behavior in their own development and in the development of their children. Three groups of subjects will be assessed: (i) the original longitudinal subjects (N-689), (ii) the children of the original subjects (N-373), and (iii) the spouses of the original subjects (N-334). The assessments for subjects and spouses will involve standardized measures of personal, career, and marital adjustment, along with assessments of child rearing patterns. The child assessments will involve longitudinal waves of age- appropriate measures of social network, personal, and cognitive development. In addition, selected official records will be obtained for subjects, spouses, and children. The research measures are multilevel and transgenerational in order to determine the sequelae of conduct problems observed in childhood and adolescence. The results of these observations will be integrated with the prospective longitudinal data from the preceding generation. For certain comparisons, it will be possible to analyze adaptation in four successive generations. Both person-oriented and variable-oriented parametric analyses will be employed. The research team is an interdisciplinary one which involves collaborating investigators whose scientific training has been in psychology, psychiatry, internal medicine, education, and ethology. It is anticipated that the findings will clarify the etiology, course, and cross-generational transmission of social patterns, with special focus on problem behaviors.
| Cairns, R B; Leung, M C; Buchanan, L et al. (1995) Friendships and social networks in childhood and adolescence: fluidity, reliability, and interrelations. Child Dev 66:1330-45 |
| Cobb, B K; Cairns, B D; Miles, M S et al. (1995) A longitudinal study of the role of sociodemographic factors and childhood aggression on adolescent injury and ""close calls"". J Adolesc Health 17:381-8 |
