The purpose of the proposed investigation is to explore the development of psychological health from age 14 to 62 as seen in a longitudinally-studied sample of 148 individuals. These 148 individuals -- 70 men and 78 women - - from 2 distinct cohorts --are participants of the Berkeley Guidance Study (BGS) and the Oakland Growth Study (OGS), with data housed at the Institute of Human Development, University of California, Berkeley. Participants have been extensively interviewed twice in adolescence and three times in adulthood; BGS members at ages 14, 18, 30, 42, and 54, and OGS members at ages 14, 18, 38, 50, and 62. Based on clinicians' ratings of these interviews, a clinically-relevant index of psychological health, applicable across the lifespan, has been derived. Through latent curve analysis, a novel statistical technique, the development of psychological health from early adolescence to later adulthood will be explored. For greater specificity and contextual understanding, gender and cohort differences in the development of psychological health will also be assessed. Finally, additional BGS and OGS data will be employed to begin to explain differential paths of psychological health.
| Jones, C J; Meredith, W (2000) Developmental paths of psychological health from early adolescence to later adulthood. Psychol Aging 15:351-60 |
