The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) is a longitudinal study that follows the lives of a nationally representative sample of nearly 9,000 people living in the U.S. who were born between 1980-1984, and were between the ages of 12-17 at the time of the first interview in 1997. Cohorts were interviewed annually between until 2011, and have since been interviewed every other year. Interviews assess a range of topics including labor market experiences, health, education, income, relationship history, attitudes, among others.
Study design: Nationally representative, longitudinal design; In-person and telephone interviewing
Measures of depression: CESD-R 7-item scale; MHI 5-item scale; CES-D (round 19 and beyond)
Other measures: Educational status; Test scores; Employment status; Wages; Work satisfaction; Family composition & background; Marital status; Parenting status; Childcare arrangements; Income; Assets & debts; General health; Height & weight; Health insurance status; Vision; Hearing; Diabetes; Asthma; Heart condition; Epilepsy; Cancer; Eating disorders; Health service utilization; Significant stressors; Chronic pain; Workplace injuries; Health knowledge; Religious attitudes; Political participation; Community participation; Computer & internet use
Notable publications using this data:
- J. Prause and D. Dooley: Favourable Employment Status Change and Psychological Depression: A Two-year Follow-up Analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
- I.A. Silver et al: Illegal Drug Use, Depressive Symptoms, and General Health: Exploring Co-occurrence across 11 Years in a National Sample
- A. Wise et al: The Best of Intentions: A Structural Analysis of the Association between Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Unintended Pregnancy in a Sample of Mothers from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979)