Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 3): Retention Early Warning Project, 2018-2019 (ICPSR 38291)
Version Date: Sep 21, 2023 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Carol D. Ryff, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
Margie E. Lachman, Brandeis University;
Marsha Mailick, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
Barry Radler, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Series:
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38291.v2
Version V2 (see more versions)
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Summary View help for Summary
In 2019, the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study attempted to contact and convert 2,239 participants who had dropped out of either the MIDUS 2 or MIDUS 3 Survey Projects. Dubbed the "Retention Early Warning" or "REW" Project, this was an effort to address longitudinal respondent attrition in MIDUS as well as explore early life vulnerabilities that may influence subsequent health profiles. REW recruited drop-outs from earlier waves of the study by using in-person interviews and increased monetary incentives. Respondents were interviewed in their homes using a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) survey protocol. In addition to the survey interview, respondents were asked to complete a Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ), a shortened version of the Brief Test of Adult Cognition via Telephone (BTACT), and to provide anthropometric measures as well as Dried Blood Spots for select biomarkers. Data collection largely repeated previous assessments, though modules were shortened or adjusted to account for the in-person interview format. CAPI survey data was collected for 651 individuals, realizing a 31% response rate, adjusted for mortality.
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Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
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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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This project includes 3 datasets: the main REW dataset, the disposition codes for the CAPI interview, and coded text of verbatim responses to the CAPI and SAQ.
- The variable M2ID is the linking variable for the three datasets in this collection. The data in this collection can also be linked to all MIDUS datasets using the variable M2ID, including survey projects MIDUS 1 [ICPSR 2760], MIDUS 2 [ICPSR 4652]. and MIDUS 3 [ICPSR 36346].
- Additional information about the Midlife Development in the United States study can be found at the MIDUS Website.
Study Design View help for Study Design
Initial contact was made with respondents through an advance letter, telling them about the MIDUS REW study. Respondents were incentivized with cash rewards once they completed certain stages of the study. Study staff utilized postcards and telephone calls to aid with respondent retention.
Sample View help for Sample
For details of how the attriter sample was sampled and fielded, please refer to the Field Report.
Time Method View help for Time Method
Universe View help for Universe
The non-institutionalized, English-speaking population of the United States aged 25-74 at MIDUS 1 (baseline). All participants in this project were attriters of the MIDUS Survey at either MIDUS 2 or MIDUS 3.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
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Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
During the computer-assisted personal interview, respondents were asked questions regarding their finances, health, education, and family, and were asked to provide anthropometric and biomarker measures such as blood pressure, height, and weight. Respondents also completed a 28-page Self-Administered Questionnaire that covered topics such as health, personal beliefs, work, social networks, religion, spirituality, discrimination, and aging. Lastly, respondents were asked to participate in a cognitive interview, where they completed various cognitive tests.
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
Of the 2,239 eligible participants who dropped out of the MIDUS 2 or MIDUS 3 survey project, 651 completed the Retention Early Warning (REW) survey interview. This corresponds to a 31% response rate, adjusted for sample mortality. Details of fielding and final disposition codes for the CAPI and other modules collected by the REW project can found in the Field Report.
Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales
The REW project employs many psychosocial scales and constructed variables. For details, please refer to the Documentation of Psychosocial Scales and Constructed Variables.
HideOriginal Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2021-11-29
Version History View help for Version History
2023-09-21 Updating study to release full product suite.
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.

This study is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), the aging program within ICPSR. NACDA is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Heath (NIH).
