Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS): Wave 2, 2002 (ICPSR 32081)
Version Date: Jul 8, 2026 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Peggy C. Giordano, Bowling Green State University;
Monica A. Longmore, Bowling Green State University;
Wendy D. Manning, Bowling Green State University
Series:
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR32081.v2
Version V2 (see more versions)
Summary View help for Summary
The Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) explores the relationship qualities and the subjective meanings that motivate adolescent behavior. More specifically, this study seeks to examine the nature and meaning of adolescent relationship experiences (e.g. with family, peers, and dating partners) in an effort to discover how experiences associated with age, gender, race, and ethnicity influence the meaning of dating relationships. The study further investigates the relative impact of dating partners and peers on sexual behavior and contraceptive practices, as well as involvement in other problem behaviors that can contribute independently to sexual risk-taking. The longitudinal design of the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) includes a schedule of follow-up interviews occurring one, three, five, ten, and about eighteen years after the initial interview. Additional waves have since been conducted.
Wave 2 of TARS includes data from follow-up surveys of adolescent respondents conducted approximately one year after the initial TARS survey. These data are accompanied by a series of weights for use in secondary analysis.
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Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
These data may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is strictly prohibited. To protect respondent privacy, this data collection is restricted from general dissemination. To obtain this file, researchers must agree to the terms and conditions of a Restricted Data Use Agreement in accordance with existing ICPSR servicing policies.
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Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
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For additional information on the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), please visit the TARS website.
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the nature and meaning of adolescent and adult relationship experiences (e.g., with family, peers, and dating partners) to discover how these relationships influence a variety of outcomes (such as HIV risk, fertility experiences and decision-making, delinquency and crime, and intimate partner violence).
Study Design View help for Study Design
Data were collected from adolescent respondents through structured in-home interviews utilizing laptop computers and a computer-assisted interviewing format.
Sample View help for Sample
The sampling frame was derived from public and private school enrollment records in Lucas County, Ohio. School attendance, however, was not a requirement for inclusion. A stratified, random sample (n=1,316) was then drawn from all 7th, 9th, and 11th grade youth residing in Lucas County in the fall of 2000. The Wave 2 Adolescent Data include data from 1177 TARS respondents.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
Adolescents in the 7th, 9th, and 11th grade during the 2000-2001 school year, and their parents in Lucas County, Ohio.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
The TARS Wave 2 Adolescent Data include 699 variables in the following categories:
- Basic Demographics and School-Related experiences
- Friends(s) (demographics, experiences, behaviors)
- Parent(s) (family and family life)
- Self (self-image, self-report experiences/behaviors, relationship-related beliefs)
- Dating and Intimacy
- Relationship History
- Fertility Related Behavior
- Non-Relationship Sex
- Health and Risk Behavior
- Work Experiences
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
These data include responses from 89.4 percent (n=1177) of the original sample (n=1316).
HideOriginal Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2011-09-26
Version History View help for Version History
2026-07-08 The P.I. supplied a new data file and an updated P.I. Codebook. Updates included changes to variable and value labels and new standardized missing values.
2018-02-15 The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented. The previous citation was:
- Giordano, Peggy C., Monica A. Longmore, and Wendy D. Manning. Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS): Wave 2, 2002. ICPSR32081-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-07-08. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR32081.v2
2011-10-04 Releasing documentation publicly
2011-09-26 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Standardized missing values.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
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One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.