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The data producers have recompiled the ACTIVE data into a new study which is available as of December 2023, ICPSR 38821; data users should plan to use study 38821 instead.

ACTIVE (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly), 1999-2008 was a multisite randomized controlled trial conducted at six field sites with New England Research Institutes (NERI) as the coordinating center. The field sites included the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Hebrew Senior Life (formerly Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged) in Boston, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Pennsylvania State University, and Wayne State University (Detroit). Data in this study are drawn from measures of cognitively demanding daily activities performed by participants who received a variety of cognitive interventions. Measures included both cognitive functioning (memory, inductive reasoning, speed processing, and general knowledge) and daily functioning (everyday problem solving, observations of daily living, complex reaction time, and general functional ability). Secondary to these measures, the study also includes data on health care and service utilization, driving habits, and mobility. Data were collected at the start of the study (baseline) as well as one, two, three, five, and ten years into the study. This collection includes the data from the tenth year of the study as well as a comprehensive analytical dataset, incorporating data from the previous collections (data from previous waves of the study as well as participant demographic data can be found in ICPSR 4248). A total of 2,832 older adults were enrolled in the trial, and 2,802 were included in the analytical sample. Twenty-six percent of the participants were African American.

ACTIVE (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly) was a multisite randomized controlled trial conducted at six field sites with New England Research Institutes (NERI) as the coordinating center. The field sites included the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Hebrew Senior Life (formerly Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged) in Boston, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Pennsylvania State University, and Wayne State University (Detroit). Data in this study are drawn from measures of cognitively demanding daily activities performed by participants who received a variety of cognitive interventions. Measures included both cognitive functioning (memory, inductive reasoning, speed processing, and general knowledge) and daily functioning (everyday problem solving, observations of daily living, complex reaction time, and general functional ability). Secondary to these measures, the study also includes data on health care and service utilization, driving habits, and mobility. Data were collected at the start of the study (baseline) as well as one, two, three, five, and ten years into the study.

This collection integrates data from two previous collections (ICPSR 4248 and ICPSR 36036) and fills in gaps that existed in these two collections. In addition, this collection features composite scores for constructs like memory, reasoning speed, Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), as well as data from the National Death Index and state driving records.

Please read the collection notes for important analysis details.

Over the past two decades, as the proportion of older Americans has increased, so too have instances of elder abuse, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; financial exploitation; and caregiver neglect. The most recent national survey estimates show at least 1 in 10 community-residing older adults experience elder abuse each year, which translates to over 7 million Americans annually. Rates of abuse are magnified for older adults with the least financial and social resources, including those with low incomes, living in isolated rural communities, and facing structural barriers such as systemic racism. Emerging research on the COVID-19 pandemic prompts even greater concern for elder abuse: the virus has disproportionately affected older adults, resulting in increased social isolation, physical health impairment, and exposure to COVID-related fraud.

Recognizing the urgent need to develop and rigorously evaluate programs aimed at preventing elder abuse, the US Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice funded a demonstration from 2017 to 2021 during which researchers from the Urban Institute and practitioners at the Phoenix-based Area Agency on Aging, Region One ("the Area Agency") co-developed an elder abuse prevention program in Maricopa County, Arizona, which Urban's team then evaluated through a randomized controlled pilot study. This multiphase demonstration included an initial planning phase and a subsequent pilot study, which is the focus of this report.

The EMPOWER: Building Late-Life Resilience program is a 12-week in-home intervention, with one-hour weekly visits designed to empower community-residing older adults with the resiliency and resources to lead safe and healthy lives throughout the aging process. EMPOWER provides one-on-one assessments, client-centered prevention education, and needs-responsive life skills training embedded in a series of cognitive reframing conversations with an experienced facilitator. The program has eight modules, each of which culminates in an action plan focused on strengthening a client's internal assets and identifying sources of positive social support. Caseworkers facilitate motivational discussions centered on clients' self-identified goals and action planning, with the aim of optimizing clients' home safety, physical health, social connectedness, and emotional and financial well-being.

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The purpose of the study was to:

• Examine resident abuse from staff report by direct care workers in a nationally representative sample of assisted living settings;
• Expand the scope of our understanding of resident abuse by including medication abuse in assisted living settings; and
• Use the data collected to examine: a. rates of abuse; b. the association of external organizational, and internal factors with resident abuse; c. direct care worker characteristics associated with abuse; d. resident characteristics associated with abuse; e. leadership characteristics associated with abuse; f. the inter-correlations of different types of abuse; and, g. resident-to-resident abuse.

For the purposes of this research, an assisted living facility is defined as a long term care setting that typically provides residents for activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Using state listings from websites, researchers identified approximately 21,000 of assisting living facilities. A random sample of approximately seven percent (n=1,500) of these eligible assisted living facilities were selected from all 50 states. Administrators of assisted living facilities were asked if they were willing to complete the questionnaire (n=1,376). Administrators were also asked if they would be willing to distribute the questionnaire to direct care workers (n=12,555). Researchers requested that they distribute the survey to all full-time and part-time direct care workers on all shifts. Follow up reminder mailings and emails were used for the administrators.

The Generations study is a five-year study designed to examine health and well-being across three generations of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGB). The study explored identity, stress, health outcomes, and health care and services utilization among LGBs in three generations of adults who came of age during different historical contexts. This collection includes baseline, wave 1, and wave 2 data collected as part of the Generations study.

The study aimed to assess whether younger cohorts of LGBs differed from older cohorts in how they viewed their LGB identity and experienced stress related to prejudice and everyday forms of discrimination, as well as whether patterns of resilience differed between different LGB cohorts. Additionally, the study sought to examine how differences in stress experience affected mental health and well-being, including depressive and anxiety symptoms, substance and alcohol use, suicide ideation and behavior, and how younger LGBs utilized LGB-oriented social and health services, relative to older cohorts.

In wave 2, respondents were re-interviewed approximately one year after completion of the baseline (wave 1) survey. Only respondents who participated in the original sample of participants were surveyed at wave 2 (i.e., the enhancement oversample was not included in the longitudinal design of this study).

In wave 3, respondents were re-interviewed approximately one year after the completion of the wave 2 survey.

Demographic variables collected as part of this study include questions related to age, education, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, gender identity, income, employment, and religiosity.

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The TILDA Series data, including studies 34315, 38681, 37105, 37106, 38670, 38674, are currently unavailable at the request of the data producer due to concerns related to EU and Irish data privacy and data sharing rules. We are working to determine the best solution to continue to share these data with the research community. Individuals interested in obtaining TILDA data access at this time should reach out to the TILDA project directly (https://tilda.tcd.ie/data/accessing-data/).

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) collects information on all aspects of health, economic and social circumstances from adults aged 50 years and over who reside in Ireland. Waves of data collection take place every two years. TILDA provides a comprehensive and accurate picture of the characteristics, needs and contributions of older persons in Ireland to inform and support improvements in policy and practice; advancements in technology and innovation; tailored education and training through an enhanced ageing research infrastructure; harmonisation with leading international research to ensure adoption of best policy and practice and comparability of results. TILDA is necessary to act as the foundation on which we can plan appropriate health, medical, social and economic policies for our older adults.

Participants were invited to complete the COVID Self Completion Questionnaire to capture their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. This data collection was planned in response to the pandemic and took place during the time when Wave 6 fieldwork was originally scheduled to take place.

The TILDA COVID-19 Study covers a range of aspects of the lives of adults aged 60 years and older during the first few months of the pandemic. As well as information on changes to normal day activities due to social-distancing and other restrictions on social interactions, we examine how these alterations to peoples' lives have impacted on their physical and mental wellbeing. The study also records peoples' exposure to the virus as well as that of their families and friends.

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The TILDA Series data files, including studies 34315, 38681, 37105, 37106, 38670, 38674, are no longer available from ICPSR and NACDA at the request of the data producer due to concerns related to EU and Irish data privacy and data sharing rules. Individuals interested in obtaining TILDA data access at this time should reach out to the TILDA project directly (https://tilda.tcd.ie/data/accessing-data/).

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a major inter-institutional initiative led by Trinity College Dublin which aims to produce a massive improvement in the quantity and quality of data, research and information relating to older people and ageing in Ireland. Eligible respondents for this study include individuals aged 50 and over and their spouses or partners of any age. The study involves interviews on a two yearly basis with a sample cohort of 8,504 people aged 50 and over (or their spouses/partners) and resident in Ireland, collecting detailed information on all aspects of their lives, including the economic (pensions, employment, living standards), health (physical, mental, service needs and usage) and social aspects (contact with friends and kin, formal and informal care, social participation). Both survey interviews and physical and biological measurements are utilized. Demographic and background variables include age, sex, marital status, household composition, education, and employment.

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The TILDA Series data, including studies 34315, 38681, 37105, 37106, 38670, 38674, are currently unavailable at the request of the data producer due to concerns related to EU and Irish data privacy and data sharing rules. We are working to determine the best solution to continue to share these data with the research community. Individuals interested in obtaining TILDA data access at this time should reach out to the TILDA project directly (https://tilda.tcd.ie/data/accessing-data/).

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a major inter-institutional initiative led by Trinity College Dublin which aims to produce a massive improvement in the quantity and quality of data, research and information relating to older people and ageing in Ireland. Eligible respondents for this study include individuals aged 50 and over and their spouses or partners of any age. The study involves interviews on a two yearly basis with a sample cohort of 8,504 people aged 50 and over (or their spouses/partners) and resident in Ireland, collecting detailed information on all aspects of their lives, including the economic (pensions, employment, living standards), health (physical, mental, service needs and usage) and social aspects (contact with friends and kin, formal and informal care, social participation). Both survey interviews and physical and biological measurements are utilized.

The second wave of TILDA interviews were undertaken between February 2012 and March 2013. Of the 8,504 interviewed in Wave 1, a second interview was obtained for 7,445 respondents. These consisted of the self, proxy and end-of-life interviews types. In addition to the returning respondents, 170 interviews were obtained from eligible household members who had chosen not to take part in Wave 1 or the new spouses/partners of existing respondents.

Demographic and background variables include age, sex, marital status, household composition, education, and employment.

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The TILDA Series data, including studies 34315, 38681, 37105, 37106, 38670, 38674, are currently unavailable at the request of the data producer due to concerns related to EU and Irish data privacy and data sharing rules. We are working to determine the best solution to continue to share these data with the research community. Individuals interested in obtaining TILDA data access at this time should reach out to the TILDA project directly (https://tilda.tcd.ie/data/accessing-data/).

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a major inter-institutional initiative led by Trinity College Dublin which aims to produce a massive improvement in the quantity and quality of data, research and information relating to older people and ageing in Ireland. Eligible respondents for this study include individuals aged 50 and over and their spouses or partners of any age. The study involves interviews on a two yearly basis with a sample cohort of 8,504 people aged 50 and over (or their spouses/partners) and resident in Ireland, collecting detailed information on all aspects of their lives, including the economic (pensions, employment, living standards), health (physical, mental, service needs and usage) and social aspects (contact with friends and kin, formal and informal care, social participation). Both survey interviews and physical and biological measurements are utilized.

The third wave of TILDA interviews were undertaken between March 2014 and October 2015. Of the 7,445 interviewed in Wave 2, a third interview was obtained for 6,874 respondents. These consisted of the self, proxy and end-of-life interviews types. In addition to the returning respondents, 28 interviews were obtained from eligible household members who had chosen not to take part in Wave 1 or the new spouses/partners of existing respondents.

Demographic and background variables include age, sex, marital status, household composition, education, and employment.

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The TILDA Series data, including studies 34315, 38681, 37105, 37106, 38670, 38674, are currently unavailable at the request of the data producer due to concerns related to EU and Irish data privacy and data sharing rules. We are working to determine the best solution to continue to share these data with the research community. Individuals interested in obtaining TILDA data access at this time should reach out to the TILDA project directly (https://tilda.tcd.ie/data/accessing-data/).

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a major inter-institutional initiative led by Trinity College Dublin which aims to produce a massive improvement in the quantity and quality of data, research and information relating to older people and ageing in Ireland. Eligible respondents for this study include individuals aged 50 and over and their spouses or partners of any age. The study involves interviews on a one year basis with a sample cohort of residents of Ireland, collecting detailed information on all aspects of their lives, including the economic (pensions, employment, living standards), health (physical, mental, service needs and usage) and social aspects (contact with friends and kin, formal and informal care, social participation). Both survey interviews and physical and biological measurements are utilized.

The fourth wave of TILDA interviews were undertaken between January and December 2016. A total of 5,713 participants completed the self-interview.

Demographic and background variables include age, sex, marital status, household composition, education, and employment.

This catalog record includes detailed variable-level descriptions, enabling data discovery and comparison. The TILDA Series data, including studies 34315, 38681, 37105, 37106, 38670, 38674, are currently unavailable at the request of the data producer due to concerns related to EU and Irish data privacy and data sharing rules. We are working to determine the best solution to continue to share these data with the research community. Individuals interested in obtaining TILDA data access at this time should reach out to the TILDA project directly (https://tilda.tcd.ie/data/accessing-data/).

The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) is a major inter-institutional initiative led by Trinity College Dublin which aims to produce a massive improvement in the quantity and quality of data, research and information relating to older people and ageing in Ireland. Eligible respondents for this study include individuals aged 50 and over and their spouses or partners of any age. The study involves interviews on a one year basis with a sample cohort of residents of Ireland, collecting detailed information on all aspects of their lives, including the economic (pensions, employment, living standards), health (physical, mental, service needs and usage) and social aspects (contact with friends and kin, formal and informal care, social participation). Both survey interviews and physical and biological measurements are utilized.

The fifth wave of TILDA interviews were undertaken between January and December 2018. A total of 4,978 participants completed the self-interview.

Demographic and background variables include age, sex, marital status, household composition, education, and employment.

The Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY) is a project that was funded by the National Science Foundation in 1985 and was designed to examine the development of: (1) student attitudes toward and achievement in science, (2) student attitudes toward and achievement in mathematics, and (3) student interest in and plans for a career in science, mathematics, or engineering, during middle school, high school, and the first four years post-high school. The relative influence parents, home, teachers, school, peers, media, and selected informal learning experiences had on these developmental patterns was considered as well.

The older LSAY cohort, Cohort One, consisted of a national sample of 2,829 tenth-grade students in public high schools throughout the United States. These students were followed for an initial period of seven years, ending four years after high school in 1994. Cohort Two, consisted of a national sample of 3,116 seventh-grade students in public schools that served as feeder schools to the same high schools in which the older cohort was enrolled. These students were followed for an initial period of seven years, concluding with a telephone interview approximately one year after the end of high school in 1994.

Beginning in the fall of 1987, the LSAY collected a wide array of information including: (1) a science achievement test and a mathematics achievement test each fall, (2) an attitudinal and experience questionnaire at the beginning and end of each school year, (3) reports about education and experience from all science and math teachers in each school, (4) reports on classroom practice by each science and math teacher serving a LSAY student, (5) an annual 25-minute telephone interview with one parent of each student, and (6) extensive school-level information from the principal of each study school.

In 2006, the NSF funded a proposal to re-contact the original LSAY students (then in their mid-30's) to resume data collection to determine their educational and occupational outcomes. Through an extensive tracking activity which involved: (1) online tracking, (2) newsletter mailing, (3) calls to parents and other relatives, (4) use of alternative online search methods, and (5) questionnaire mailing, more than 95 percent of the original sample of 5,945 LSAY students were located or accounted for. In addition to re-contacting the students, the proposal defined a new eligible sample of approximately 5,000 students and these young adults were asked to complete a survey in 2007. A second survey was conducted in the fall of 2008 that sought to gather updated information about occupational and education outcomes and to measure the civic scientific literacy of these young adults, in which to date more than 3,200 participants have responded. A third survey was conducted in the fall of 2009 that sought to gather updated information about occupational and education outcomes and to measure the participants' use of selected informal science education resources, in which to date more than 3,200 participants have responded. A fourth survey was conducted in the fall of 2010 that sought to gather updated information about occupational and education outcomes, as well as provided questions about the participants' interactions with their children, in which to date more than 3,200 participants have responded. Finally, a fifth survey was conducted in the fall of 2011 that sought to gather updated information about education outcomes and included an expanded occupation battery for all participants, as well as an expanded spousal information battery for all participants. The 2011 questionnaire also included items about the 2011 Fukushima incident in Japan along with attitudinal items about nuclear power and global climate change. To date approximately 3,200 participants responded to the 2011 survey.

There were no surveys conducted in 2012 or 2013. Beginning in 2014 the LSAY was funded by the National Institute on Aging for five years. This data release adds the 2017 data to the previous data release that included data through 2016.

The public release data files include information collected from the national probability sample students, their parents, and the science and mathematics teachers in the students' schools. The data covers the initial seven years, beginning in the fall of 1987, as well as the data collected in the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 questionnaires.

Part 1: LSAY Merged Cohort (Base File) contains student and parent data from both cohorts of the LSAY from 1987-1994 and student follow-up data from 2007-2011 and 2014-2017. Additionally, Parts 2 - 5 contain information gathered from two teacher background questionnaires and two principal questionnaires from 1987-1994.

The Longitudinal Study of Generations (LSOG), initiated in 1971, began as a survey of intergenerational relations among 300 three-generation California families with grandparents (then in their sixties), middle-aged parents (then in their early forties), and grandchildren (then aged 15 to 26). The study broadened in 1991 and now includes a fourth generation, the great-grandchildren of these same families.

The LSOG, with a fully elaborated generation-sequential design, allows comparisons of sets of aging parents and children at the same stage of life but during different historical periods. These comparisons make possible the investigation of the effects of social change on inter-generational solidarity or conflict across 35 years and four generations, as well as the effects of social change on the ability of families to buffer stressful life transitions (e.g., aging, divorce and remarriage, higher female labor force participation, changes in work and the economy, and possible weakening of family norms of obligation), and the effects of social change on the transmission of values, resources, and behaviors across generations.

The LSOG contains information on family structure, household composition, affectual solidarity and conflict, values, attitudes, behaviors, role importance, marital relationships, health and fitness, mental health and well-being, caregiving, leisure activities, and life events and concerns. Demographic variables include age, sex, income, employment status, marital status, socioeconomic history, education, religion, ethnicity, and military service.

The codebook for dataset 1 (DS1 Waves 1-7) is over 5000 pages long; due to complications related to the size of this document, the search function within the PDF is not yet enabled. Users seeking specific variables should use the search function within the PI Codebook, or search using the variables search tab/option from the study page.

Estimates suggest that up to 16% of American adults--approximately 40 million people--fall victim to mass marketing scams each year. Mass marketing scams include any attempts to fraudulently solicit money from consumers through mass communication methods, such as the internet, telephone, and mail. Complaints to consumer protection agencies have risen 240% in the past 10 years (Federal Trade Commission [FTC], 2013, 2023). According to conservative estimates from the most recent Consumer Sentinel Network Report (FTC, 2023), Americans reported more than $2.7 billion in direct losses from fraud in 2022. In addition to financial costs, consequences to victims include feelings of shame and embarrassment, loss of trust, depression, and, in the most severe cases, suicidal ideation. These consequences of fraud are particularly impactful for older adults who suffer higher losses per incident, on average (FTC, 2022) and face greater challenges recovering from losses after retirement. Research on elder mistreatment in general has shown that older victims consume 30% more mental health and substance abuse services and are hospitalized more often than non-victims.

These scams convince susceptible targets that they have won bogus sweepstakes, merchandise, free vacations, or lotteries, but they first need to pay money to claim their winnings. Based on data from one major investigation from 2011 to 2016, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) found that Americans sent $558 million in checks, credit card payments, and money orders through the mail in response to such scams (USPIS internal data). Overall, the USPIS estimates that 3% of U.S. adults--7.5 million Americans--have mailed a payment in response to mass marketing fraud and that 60%-70% of these individuals are revictimized by a similar solicitation or an entirely different offer. Given these figures, reducing the incidence of mass marketing fraud could save millions of dollars annually.

Although the FTC, the National Council on Aging, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Better Business Bureau, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and other agencies and organizations routinely disseminate fraud education and awareness materials, it is unclear how much of these materials reach the most vulnerable populations. Much of the content is available online, yet according to the Pew Research Center, only 75% of adults older than age 65 use the internet, and only 64% have home broadband. Printed materials are also disseminated at senior centers, libraries, legal service offices, and outreach events, but older adults who are socially isolated and most susceptible to fraud are unlikely to be reached through these venues.

To address gaps in intervention research, Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International and the University of Minnesota conducted the Mass Marketing Elder Fraud Intervention (MMEFI) Study with collaboration and support from the USPIS. This multiphase research project included a secondary analysis of USPIS administrative data on prior scams and a randomized controlled trial test of the efficacy of two variations of a mailed intervention for preventing revictimization by mail fraud. The overall objective was to provide specific policy recommendations to the USPIS and other consumer protection agencies regarding the effectiveness of a mailed intervention. The MMEFI Study had the following specific goals:

• Enhance knowledge and understanding of repeat victimization among older victims of mass marketing scams.
• Engage in rigorous testing of the efficacy of two versions of a fraud intervention strategy geared toward preventing repeat victimization among older victims of mass marketing scams.
• Assess victims' perceptions of the intervention and collect self-report data on experiences with other types of fraud by surveying individuals in the intervention study.

The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary investigation of patterns, predictors, and consequences of midlife development in the areas of physical health, psychological well-being, and social responsibility. A description of the study and findings from it are available at http://www.midus.wisc.edu.

The first wave of the MIDUS study (MIDUS 1 or M1) collected survey data from a total of 7,108 participants. The baseline sample was comprised of individuals from four subsamples: (1) a national RDD (random digit dialing) sample (n=3,487); (2) oversamples from five metropolitan areas in the U.S. (n=757); (3) siblings of individuals from the RDD sample (n=950); and (4) a national RDD sample of twin pairs (n=1,914). All eligible participants were non-institutionalized, English-speaking adults in the coterminous United States, aged 25 to 74.

Data from the samples were collected primarily in 1995/96. The survey (Project 1) dataset contains responses from a 30-minute Phone interview and two 50-page Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ) instruments. Of the 7,108 respondents who completed the Phone interview, 6,325 also completed the SAQ.

This updated version of the study is comprised of three primary datasets:

Dataset 1, Main, Siblings, and Twin Data, contains responses from the main survey of 7,108 respondents. Respondents were asked to provide extensive information on their physical and mental health throughout their adult lives, and to assess the ways in which their lifestyles, including relationships and work-related demands, contributed to the conditions experienced. Those queried were asked to describe their histories of physical ailments, including heart-related conditions and cancer, as well as the treatment and/or lifestyle changes they went through as a result. A series of questions addressed alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use, and focused on history of use, regularity of use, attempts to quit, and how the use of those substances affected respondents' physical and mental well-being. Additional questions addressed respondents' sense of control over their health, their awareness of changes in their medical conditions, commitment to regular exercise and a healthy diet, experience with menopause, the decision-making process used to deal with health concerns, experiences with nontraditional remedies or therapies, and history of attending support groups. Respondents were asked to compare their overall well-being with that of their peers and to describe social, physical, and emotional characteristics typical of adults in their 20's, 40's, and 60's. Information on the work histories of respondents and their significant others was also elicited, with items covering the nature of their occupations, work-related physical and emotional demands, and how their personal health had correlated to their jobs. An additional series of questions focusing on childhood queried respondents regarding the presence/absence of their parents, religion, rules/punishments, love/affection, physical/verbal abuse, and the quality of their relationships with their parents and siblings. Respondents were also asked to consider their personal feelings of accomplishment, desire to learn, sense of control over their lives, interests, and hopes for the future.

The Datasets previously numbered 2 and 3 have been removed to avoid redundancies, and all datasets have been renumbered. Please refer to the readme file.

Dataset 2, Twin Screener Data, provides the first national sample of twin pairs ascertained randomly via the telephone.

Dataset 3, Coded Text Responses, describes how open-ended textual responses in the MIDUS 1 Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) and Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ) were transformed into categorical numeric codes. These codes are included in a stand-alone dataset containing only those cases (N=3,950) that contained text data in their responses.

Online Analysis Only: Datasets 1, 2, and 3 were merged together by the SU_ID variable to form "Merged Data with Weights (Online Analysis Only)" (Dataset 4) for online analysis capabilities.

MIDUS also maintains a Colectica portal, which allows users to interact with variables across waves and create customized subsets. Registration is required.

In 1995-1996, the MacArthur Midlife Research Network carried out a national survey of 7,108 Americans aged 25 to 74 (MIDLIFE IN THE UNITED STATES (MIDUS), 1995-1996 [ICPSR 2760]). The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of behavioral, psychological, and social factors in understanding age-related differences in physical and mental health. The study was innovative for its broad scientific scope, its diverse samples (which included twins and the siblings of main sample respondents), and its creative use of in-depth assessments in key areas (e.g., daily stress and cognitive functioning). A description of the study and findings from it are available at http://www.midus.wisc.edu. With support from the National Institute on Aging, a longitudinal follow-up of the original MIDUS samples: core sample (N = 3,487), metropolitan over-samples (N = 757), twins (N = 925 complete pairs), and siblings (N = 950), was conducted in 2004-2006. Guiding hypotheses for it, at the most general level, were that behavioral and psychosocial factors are consequential for physical and mental health. MIDUS 2 respondents were aged 35 to 86. Data collection largely repeated baseline assessments (e.g., phone interview and extensive self-administered questionnaire), with additional questions in selected areas (e.g., cognitive functioning, optimism and coping, stressful life events, and caregiving). To add refinements to MIDUS 2, an African American sample (N = 592) was recruited from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who participated in a personal interview and completed a questionnaire paralleling the above assessments. Survey data for the Milwaukee sample are available in a separate project [ICPSR 22840]. Also administered was a modified form of the mail questionnaire, via telephone, to respondents who did not complete a self-administered questionnaire.

In 1995-1996, the MacArthur Midlife Research Network carried out a national survey of over 7,000 Americans aged 25 to 74 [ICPSR 2760]. The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of behavioral, psychological, and social factors in understanding age-related differences in physical and mental health. The study was innovative for its broad scientific scope, its diverse samples (which included siblings of the main sample respondents and a national sample of twin pairs), and its creative use of in-depth assessments in key areas (e.g. daily diary of stressful experiences [ICPSR 3725] and cognitive functioning [ICPSR 3596]) on a subset of participants. A detailed description of the study and findings generated by it are available at: http://www.midus.wisc.edu

With support from the National Institute on Aging, a follow-up of the original Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) sample was conducted in 2004 (MIDUS 2 [ICPSR 4652]). The daily stress and cognitive functioning projects were repeated and expanded at MIDUS 2; in addition the protocol was expanded to include biomarkers and neuroscience.

In 2013 a third wave (MIDUS 3) of survey data was collected on longitudinal participants. Data collection for this follow-up wave largely repeated baseline assessments (e.g., phone interview and extensive self-administered questionnaire), with additional questions in selected areas such as economic recession experiences. Cognitive functioning data were also collected at the same time, while data collection for the daily diary, biomarker, and neuroscience projects commenced in 2017.

MIDUS also maintains a Colectica portal, which allows users to interact with variables across waves and create customized subsets. Registration is required.

The Biomarker Project is one of multiple projects that comprise the MIDUS 3 (M3) "Integrative Pathways to Health and Illness" study. For the past two decades, the overarching objective of MIDUS has been to investigate linkages between sociodemographic, psychosocial, behavioral, and neurobiological variables to account for unfolding profiles of morbidity and mortality across the decades of adult life as well as the maintenance of good health and functional capacities. The study has facilitated analyses that pay attention simultaneously to age, gender, race, and socioeconomic variation in how psychosocial and neurobiological variables are linked. In addition, the M3 data permit longitudinal assessment of the impact of ongoing historical events, such as the 2008 economic recession, on the health of diverse-aged adults, which was also included in the MIDUS Refresher 1 (MR1) assessments. M3 included recruitment of additional twins to facilitate genomic analysis.

The M3 Biomarker Project (P4) includes assessment of multiple indicators of physiological regulation/dysregulation and health according to the basic protocol implemented in the MR1 study, which repeated and expanded the M2 biomarker protocol. The M3 protocol included bone density and body composition assessments at all sites and expansion of Actigraphy, Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) and Gait assessments to all three sites. Data were collected during a 24-hour stay at one of three Clinical Research Units (CRU).

In 2005, 592 African Americans from Milwaukee were added to the MIDUS sample to examine health issues in minority populations (for more details, see Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 2): Milwaukee African American Sample [ICPSR #22840]). Respondents were interviewed in their homes using a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) survey protocol and asked to complete and return a Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ). Afterwards these individuals were eligible for participation in the same research protocol as the national MIDUS 2 sample, including cognitive, daily stress, biomarker, and neuroscience projects.

With support from the National Institute on Aging, a second wave of survey data collection on the Milwaukee sample was begun in 2016. The survey consisted of a 2.5 hour CAPI interview followed by a 45-page mailed SAQ. CAPI survey data was collected for 389 individuals, realizing a 78 percent response rate, adjusted for mortality and other eligibility criteria. Data collection for this follow-up wave largely repeated baseline assessments, with additional questions in selected areas (e.g., economic recession experiences, childhood experience with race, etc.). Following successful completion of the CAPI and SAQ protocols, individuals were eligible for participation in cognitive, daily stress, biomarker, and neuroscience projects.

In 2011-2014, the MIDUS Refresher study recruited a national probability sample of 3,577 adults, aged 25 to 74, designed to replenish the original MIDUS 1 baseline cohort and paralleling the five decadal age groups of the MIDUS 1 baseline survey [ICPSR 2760]. The MIDUS Refresher survey employed the same comprehensive assessments as those assembled on the existing MIDUS sample, but with additional questions about the effect of the economic recession of 2008-09.

The MIDUS Refresher collection is split into two datasets: Aggregate Data and Coded Text Data. The Coded Text Dataset provides coded responses to open-ended question items in the Aggregate Dataset. The survey data collection (Project 1) [MIDUS, ICPSR 2760] consisted of a 30-minute phone interview followed by two 50-page mailed self-administered questionnaires. Survey data were collected on demographic, psycho-social, and physical and mental health information. This new crosssectional MIDUS sample allows the examination of period effects on health (mental and physical) related to the economic recession by comparing the pre-recession MIDUS 1 sample with the post-recession MIDUS Refresher sample. A further objective of the MIDUS Refresher sample was to strengthen cross-project analyses in MIDUS by increasing the sample sizes available for testing hypotheses dealing with the interplay of key factors (e.g., socioeconomic status, gender, psychosocial factors, biological factors) in mid- and laterlife health. To that end, the MIDUS Refresher sample followed the same multi-disciplinary protocol established in the main MIDUS sample, in that after completing the survey protocol respondents were asked to complete a cognitive assessment by phone (Project 3) [MIDUS 3, ICPSR 36346] and later became eligible to participate in daily diary assessments (Project 2) [MIDUS 2, ICPSR 4652] biomarker assessments (Project 4) [MIDUS 2: Biomarker Project, ICPSR 29282] and neuroscience assessments (Project 5) [MIDUS 2: Neuroscience Project, ICPSR 28683].

The MIDUS Refresher was funded by the National Institute on Aging as two separate but related efforts: The MIDUS Refresher younger decades (MRY), was fielded in November, 2011, and recruited over 2,100 new participants aged 25 to 54; Funding was later added for the MIDUS Refresher older decades (MRO), which was fielded in June, 2013 and recruited over 1,400 new participants aged 55 to 74.

Demographic variables include age, sex, gender, race, religion, and marital status.

In 2012-2013, the MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher study recruited a sample of 508 Milwaukee African American adults, aged 25 to 64, designed to replenish the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS 2): Milwaukee African American Sample, 2005-2006 (ICPSR 22840). This sample was also designed to increase the number of racial minorities included in the broader MIDUS study. The MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher survey employed the same assessments (demographic, psycho-social, and physical and mental health) as those assembled on the existing MIDUS sample, but with additional questions about the effect of the economic recession of 2008-09. A sample of African Americans from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, was stratified by age, gender, and income.

Area probability sampling methods were used to identify potential respondents. Field interviewers screened households to determine if they contained any African American adults. There was additional screening to achieve an appropriate age/gender distribution in a manner similar to what was done for the original MIDUS sample (Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 1), 1995-1996 [ICPSR 2760]). Milwaukee respondents were interviewed in their homes using a 2.5-hour Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) protocol and afterwards asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ). All measures paralleled those used in the larger MIDUS samples. In addition to successful completion of the survey, participants were asked to complete a cognitive assessment by phone. Some respondents were eligible to participate in additional MIDUS projects: daily diary assessments, biomarker assessments, and neuroscience assessments.

In 2011-2014, the MIDUS Refresher study recruited a national probability sample of 3,577 adults, aged 25 to 74, designed to replenish the original MIDUS 1 baseline cohort and paralleling the age groups of the MIDUS 1 baseline survey in 1995. The MIDUS Refresher survey employed the same comprehensive assessments as existing MIDUS sample, with additional questions about the effect of the Great Recession in 2008-09. Survey data were collected on demographic, psychosocial, and health and well-being information.

In 2022-2024, the second wave of survey data (MIDUS Refresher 2) was collected on longitudinal participants, including the questions (1) repeated from the Refresher 1, (2) new impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic replacing the questions related to the Great Recession in the Refresher 1, and (3) the additional questions in selected areas (e.g., AD8, IADL, family history of dementia). This new longitudinal MIDUS data allow examination of period effects on health and well-being related to the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing the pre-pandemic MIDUS Refresher 1 data with the post-pandemic MIDUS Refresher 2 data. Further, the longitudinal MIDUS Refresher datasets (Wave 1 and Wave 2) allow investigation of the two major macro-level historic events, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, on health and well-being across various population groups in the U.S.

In 2012-2013, the MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher study recruited a sample of 508 Milwaukee African American adults, aged 25 to 64, designed to replenish the original MIDUS Milwaukee 1 survey that was designed to increase the number of racial minorities in 2005. The MIDUS Milwaukee Refresher survey employed the same comprehensive assessments (demographic, psycho-social, and physical and mental health) as those on the existing MIDUS sample, with additional questions about the effect of the Great Recession in 2008-09.

In 2023-2024, the second wave of survey data was collected from 327 longitudinal Refresher Milwaukee participants, including the questions (1) repeated from the Refresher 1, (2) new impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic replacing the questions related to the Great Recession in the Refresher 1, and (3) the additional questions in selected areas (e.g., AD8, IADL, family history of dementia). This new longitudinal MIDUS Refresher Milwaukee data allow examination of period effects on health and well-being related to the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing the pre-pandemic MIDUS Refresher Milwaukee 1 data with the post-pandemic MIDUS Refresher Milwaukee 2 data. Further, the longitudinal MIDUS Refresher datasets (wave 1 and wave 2) allow investigation of the two major macro-level historic events, the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, on health and well-being.

In 1958, the Medical Follow-up Agency (MFUA) of the Institute of Medicine began a project to identify twins who had jointly entered military service during World War II. In the end, MFUA identified nearly 16,000 White male twin pairs born 1917-1927 in which both members had served in the military. These twins comprise the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council World War II Twin Registry (NAS-NRC Twin Registry). This collection represents data from service records, a mailed questionnaire assessing zygosity, and repeating health surveys, including information on education, employment history, and earnings.

There are nine datasets associated with this restricted-use collection:

1) The Administrative dataset includes demographic, zygosity, service history, mortality, and questionnaire participation data;

2) The Service and Other Records dataset contains information collected from service records, physical exam data, cognitive test data, and dental records;

3) The Questionnaire 2 dataset consists of data collected in the first mailed questionnaire sent in 1965 about pain, illnesses, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and employment;

4) The Questionnaire 3 dataset includes data from the baseline epidemiological questionnaire sent in 1974 about number and sex of children, religious attendance, education, income, and occupation;

5) Questionnaire 7, mailed in 1985, contains similar topics as in Questionnaire 2, and includes data about health conditions such as diabetes, as well as feelings about work and retirement;

6) Questionnaire 8 was mailed in 1998 was the third epidemiologic questionnaire. This dataset is comprised of overlapping topics with Q2 and Q7, and has additional data about feelings, prescription medications, activity levels, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and parental death status;

7) The NEO Personality Inventory dataset includes responses to the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory mailed in 2005-2006;

8) The Service and Death Records dataset (VDE access only) contains information about date and place of birth, state at induction, disciplinary measures during service, decorations received during service, indicator for those known to have been POWs, reason for separation from the military, age at death if died over age 90, and cause of death. Some of this information was obtained from the re-read of service records and is thus available only for a subset of 6357 men;

9) Diagnoses dataset (VDE access only) contains data about medical conditions diagnosed between 1935 and 1985 that were abstracted from a variety of medical records over the course of the study. The diagnoses were coded using the International Classification of Disease system (WHO, 2015).

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) Parent Study Public Use collection includes data gathered as part of the Add Health longitudinal survey of adolescents. The original Add Health survey is a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of adolescents in grades 7-12 in the United States during the 1994-1995 school year. In Wave 1 of the Add Health Study (1994-1995), a parent of each Add Health Sample Member (AHSM) was interviewed. The Add Health Parent Study gathered social, behavioral, and health survey data in 2015-2017 from the parents of Add Health Sample members who were originally interviewed at Wave 1 (1994-1995). Wave 1 Parents were asked about their adolescent children, their relationships with them, and their own health.

The Add Health Parent Study interview is a comprehensive survey of Add Health parents' family relations, education, religious beliefs, physical and mental health, social support, and community involvement experiences. In addition, survey data contains cognitive assessments, a medications log linked to a medications database lookup table, and household financial information collection. The survey also includes permission for administrative data linkages and includes data from a Family Health History Leave-Behind questionnaire. Interviews were conducted with parents' spouse/partner when available.

Research domains targeted in the survey and research questions that may be addressed using the Add Health Parent Study data include:

• Health Behaviors and Risks Many health conditions and behaviors run in families; for example, cardiovascular disease, obesity and substance abuse. How are health risks and behaviors transmitted across generations or clustered within families? How can we use information on the parents' health and health behavior to better understand the determinants of their (adult) children's health trajectories?
• Cognitive Functioning and Non-Cognitive Personality Traits What role does the intergenerational transmission of personality and locus of control play in generating intergenerational persistence in education, family status, income and health? How do the personality traits of parents and children, and how they interact, influence the extent and quality of intergenerational relationships and the prevalence of assistance across generations?
• Decision-Making, Expectations, and Risk Preferences Do intergenerational correlations in risk preferences represent intergenerational transmission of preferences? If so, are the transmission mechanisms a factor in biological and environmental vulnerabilities? Does the extent of genetic liability vary in response to both family-specific and generation-specific environmental pressures?
• Family Support, Relationship Quality and Ties of Obligation How does family complexity affect intergenerational obligations and the strength of relationship ties? As parents near retirement: What roles do they play in their children's lives and their children in their lives? What assistance are they providing to their adult children and grandchildren? What do they receive in return? And how do these ties vary with divorce, remarriage and familial estrangement?
• Economic Status and Capacities What are the economic capacities of the parents' generation as they reach their retirement years? How have fared through the wealth and employment shocks of the Great Recession? Are parents able to provide for their own financial need? And, do they have the time and financial resources to help support their children and grandchildren and are they prepared to do so?

This longitudinal data collection supplies information on the educational, vocational, and personal development of young people who were high school seniors in 1972 and examines the kinds of factors -- personal, familial, social, institutional, and cultural -- that may affect that development. The collection provides a broad spectrum of information on each student and covers areas such as ability, socioeconomic status, home background, community environment, ethnicity, significant others, current activity at time of survey, educational attainment, school experiences, school performance, work status, work performance and satisfaction, goal orientations, marriage and the family, and military experience.

Data collected in the base-year (1972) focus on factors relating to the student's personal/family background, education and work experiences, plans, aspirations, attitudes, and opinions. The first follow-up, which was conducted in 1973, offers information on the respondent's activity state (education, work, etc.), socioeconomic status, work and educational experience since leaving high school, future plans, and expectations. The second follow-up (1974) probes respondents on similar measures but is augmented by additional variables pertaining to work and education. The third follow-up (1976) contains additional items on graduate school application and entry, job supervision, sex roles, sex and race biases, and a subjective rating of high school experiences. The fourth follow-up (1979) offers data similar to the other follow-ups but includes some variables that were modified to elicit unique information. For the fifth follow-up, the sample members averaged 32 years of age and had been out of high school for 14 years. In addition to covering the same subject areas as the previous surveys, this follow-up includes additional questions on marital history, divorce, child support, and economic relationships in modern families.

Part 1 of this collection contains base-year data as well as data collected during four subsequent follow-ups undertaken in 1973, 1974, 1976, and 1979, while Part 11 contains fifth follow-up data for 1986. Part 2, the School File, contains information obtained from the respondent's high school and also from high school counselors. Data are available on school organization and enrollment, course offerings, special services and programs, library and other resources, time scheduling, and grading systems. Counselor information is supplied on work loads, counseling practices and facilities, experience with student financial aid programs, age, ethnicity, training, and experience. A supplementary School District Census File, Part 3, contains 1970 Census data tabulated by school district boundaries. In addition, the collection includes a FICE Code File and a CEEB Institutional Data Base File that can be used in conjunction with the student file to supply contextual information about respondents' colleges. The Institutional Data Base File offers data for colleges and universities on items such as enrollment, income and revenues, expenses, tuition and fees, and median student scores on standardized tests. Parts 7, 8, 9 and 10 contain transcript data from each postsecondary institution reported by sample members in the first through fourth follow-up surveys. Data are available for several types of postsecondary institutions, ranging from short-term vocational or occupational programs through major universities with graduate programs and professional schools. Data in these four rectangular files -- Student, Transcript, Term, and Course Files -- are organized to be used in combination hierarchically. Information is available on terms of attendance, fields of study, specific courses taken, and grades and credits earned. The Fifth Follow-Up Teaching Supplement (Parts 12) surveyed those members of the original 1972 sample who had obtained teaching certificates and/or who had teaching experience. Respondents were asked questions about their qualifications, experience, and attitudes toward teaching.

The National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) is a population-based study of health and social factors on a national scale, aiming to understand the well-being of older, community-dwelling Americans by examining the interactions among physical health, illness, medication use, cognitive function, emotional health, sensory function, health behaviors, and social connectedness. It is designed to provide health providers, policy makers, and individuals with useful information and insights into these factors, particularly on social and intimate relationships.

The National Opinion Research Center (NORC), along with Principal Investigators at the University of Chicago, conducted more than 3,000 interviews during 2005 and 2006 with a nationally representative sample of adults aged 57 to 85. Face-to-face interviews and biomeasure collection took place in respondents' homes. Round 3 was conducted from September 2015 through November 2016, where 2,409 surviving Round 2 respondents were re-interviewed, and a New Cohort consisting of adults born between 1948 and 1965 together with their spouses or co-resident partners was added. All together, 4,777 respondents were interviewed in Round 3. The following files constitute Round 3: Core Data, Social Networks Data, Disposition of Returning Respondent Partner Data, and Proxy Data.

Included in the Core files (Datasets 1 and 2) are demographic characteristics, such as gender, age, education, race, and ethnicity. Other topics covered respondents' social networks, social and cultural activity, physical and mental health including cognition, well-being, illness, history of sexual and intimate partnerships and patient-physician communication, in addition to bereavement items. In addition data on a panel of biomeasures including, weight, waist circumference, height, and blood pressure was collected. The Social Networks (Datasets 3 and 4) files detail respondents' current relationship status with each person identified on the network roster. The Disposition of Returning Respondent Partner (Datasets 5 and 6) files detail information derived from Section 6A items regarding the partner from Rounds 1 and 2 within the questionnaire. This provides a complete history for respondent partners across both rounds. The Proxy (Datasets 7 and 8) files contain final health data for Round 1 and Round 2 respondents who could not participate in NSHAP due to disability or death.

The COVID-19 sub-study, administered to NSHAP R3 respondents in the Fall of 2020, was a brief self-report questionnaire that probed how the coronavirus pandemic changed older adults' lives. The COVID-19 sub-study questionnaire was limited to assessing specific domains in which respondents may have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including: (1) COVID experiences, (2) health and health care, (3) job and finances, (4) social support, (5) marital status and relationship quality, (6) social activity and engagement, (7) living arrangements, (8) household composition and size, (9) mental health, (10) elder mistreatment, (11) health behaviors, and (12) positive impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Questions about engagement in racial justice issues since the death of George Floyd in police custody were also added to facilitate analysis of the independent and compounding effects of both the COVID-19 pandemic and reckoning with longstanding racial injustice in America.

In 2008, with funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), baseline survey data were collected from a probability sample of Japanese adults (N=1,027) aged 30 to 79 from the Tokyo metropolitan area, resulting in the Survey of Midlife in Japan (MIDJA) [ICPSR 30822]. In 2009-2010, biomarker data was obtained from a subset (n=382) of these cases (MIDJA Biomarker) [ICPSR 34969].

The survey and biomarker measures obtained, parallel those in a national longitudinal sample of Americans known as Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) [ICPSR 4652: MIDUS 2 and ICPSR 2760: MIDUS 1]. The central objective was to compare the Japanese sample (MIDJA) with the United States sample (MIDUS) to test hypotheses about the role of psychosocial factors in the health (broadly defined) of mid- and later-life adults in Japan and the United States

In 2012, with additional support from NIA, a longitudinal follow-up of the MIDJA sample was conducted resulting in a second wave (N=657) of survey data (MIDJA 2) [ICPSR 36427].

This collection reflects data from 2013-2014, when a second wave of biomarker data was obtained from a sub-sample (n=328) of those who completed the MIDJA 2 survey. Among this group, about 75 percent (n=243) also completed the first wave of biomarker assessments.

Participants traveled to a clinic on the University of Tokyo campus where biomarker data (vital signs, morphometric assessments, blood assays, and medication data) were obtained. Participants also provided daily saliva samples for cortisol assessment and completed a self-administered medical history questionnaire, as well as a time preference questionnaire.

The medical history questionnaire included assessments of conditions and symptoms, major health and life events, nutrition/diet, and additional psychosocial measures (anxiety, depression, relationship quality, control, etc.).

The time preference questionnaire was used to collect respondents' opinions on management of money and assets given hypothetical scenarios.

Demographic variables include age, gender, and marital status.

In 2008, with funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), baseline survey data for the Survey of Midlife in Japan (MIDJA), April-September 2008 were collected from a probability sample of Japanese adults (N=1,027) aged 30 to 79 from the Tokyo metropolitan area (ICPSR 30822). In 2009-2010 biomarker data was obtained from a subset of these cases (ICPSR 34969).

The survey and biomarker measures obtained parallel those in a national longitudinal sample of Americans known as Midlife in the United States or MIDUS (ICPSR 2760: MIDUS 1 and ICPSR 4652: MIDUS 2). The central objective was to compare the Japanese sample (MIDJA) with the United States sample (MIDUS) to test hypotheses about the role of psychosocial factors in the health (broadly defined) of mid- and later-life adults in Japan and the United States.

In 2012, with additional support from NIA, a longitudinal follow-up of the MIDJA sample was completed. The data collection for this second wave (N=657) largely repeated the baseline assessments. The goal of the follow-up wave was to conduct comparisons of longitudinal data available from the Japanese sample (MIDJA) and the United States sample (MIDUS) to test the hypothesis about the role of psychosocial factors in predicting health changes (including biomarkers) in both cultural contexts. Cultural influences on age differences in health and well-being were also of interest.

Demographic and background information included gender, age, education, marital status, household composition, and income.

The Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) projects began in 2002 with the goal of understanding risk and protective factors, including genetics, for cognitive and brain aging starting in midlife. This NIH funded longitudinal study has completed three waves of data collection (2002-2008; 2008-2014, 2015-2020) following the same group of non-patient, community dwelling male veteran twins from when they were average age 56 to average age 68. A fourth wave of data collection began in October 2021. Although the men are American veterans, this is not a VA sample. This is a nation-wide sample with participants flown into sister data collection sites at either University of California San Diego or Boston University.

The VETSA study encompasses multiple linked grants and data collections with two studies funded continuously since 2002--The VETSA Longitudinal Twin Study of Cognition and Aging and The VETSA Longitudinal MRI Twin Study of Aging. Because of the broad interests of the investigators, while study data focus most heavily on in-person cognitive testing, a wide array of psychosocial, demographic, medical history, physical functioning, and personality measures were also collected. While some measures were only collected at baseline, the majority are repeated at every data collection.

At each wave of data collection, participants completed a lengthy psychosocial questionnaire at home then came to the testing site for a full day (~8 hrs) of in-person testing. Participants were housed for either 2 nights if only part of VETSA aging or 3 nights if they qualified for the MRI data collection.

The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) is a long-term study of a random sample of 10,317 men and women who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957. The WLS provides an opportunity to study the life course, intergenerational transfers and relationships, family functioning, physical and mental health and well-being, and morbidity and mortality from late adolescence through 2025. WLS data also cover social background, youthful aspirations, schooling, military service, labor market experiences, family characteristics and events, social participation, psychological characteristics and retirement.

Survey data were collected from the original respondents (the graduates) in 1957, 1964, 1975, 1992, 2004, 2011, 2020 and 2022; from their parents in 1957 and 1964; from a selected sibling in 1977, 1994, 2005, 2011, 2020 and 2022; from the spouse of the original respondent in 2004; and from the spouse of the selected sibling in 2006.

The collection of cognitive function data among graduates and siblings under the ILIAD study (MPIS: Sanjay Asthana, Michal Engelman, and Pamela Herd) began in 2020 to measure risk and resilience of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) as the cohort reaches their 80s. Data from 2020 and 2022 have been released, and 2025 and 2027 wave releases are forthcoming.

The WLS also has extensive administrative linkages, including with the 1940 and 1950 census, Social Security records, voting participation, and Medicare claims data.