Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Series

collection: series

Studies

33

Variables

45,535

Publications

3,249

About this Collection

The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Series is a data collection stemming from the work of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development (MIDMAC). MIDMAC is an interdisciplinary research group consisting of numerous scholars from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. It was established in 1989 to study a period in the lifespan -- middle age. The primary objective of MIDMAC is to identify the major biomedical, psychological, and social factors that permit some people to achieve good health, psychological well-being, and social responsibility during their adult years. To do this, MIDMAC collected a series of data to establish an empirical basis for documenting what happens in the middle years and to identify the factors that determine the course of midlife development.

The first wave of data collection (MIDUS I) began in 1995 with a National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. The main data collection consisted of a general population survey, as well as surveys of siblings of the general population respondents, and a twin pairs sample. The main data collection also included an oversample of five metropolitan areas. In addition to the main national survey, random subsamples of respondents were recruited to participate in in-depth investigations of selected topics, such as management strategies for coping with stressful experiences, a national study of daily experiences, and a study of psychological experiences.

In 2002 the University of Wisconsin Institute on Aging was awarded a grant from the National Institute on Aging to continue the MIDUS series.

MIDUS datasets can be linked via the M2ID variable.

Additionally, the MIDUS series includes the Midlife in Japan (MIDJA) studies. In 2008, with funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the MIDJA studies began with a baseline sample of Japanese adults (N = 1,027) aged 30 to 79 from the Tokyo metropolitan area. These baseline survey data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, educational status), psychosocial characteristics (e.g., independence/interdependence, personality traits, sense of control, goal orientations, social support, family obligation, social responsibility), mental health (depression, anxiety, well-being, life satisfaction), and physical health (chronic conditions, health symptoms, functional limitations, health behaviors); biomarker data were later collected from a subset of the baseline cases. The survey and biomarker measures obtained in MIDJA parallel those in the MIDUS 1 and 2 samples - 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 U.S.

Users should review the "Guide to Merging the MIDJA and MIDUS Data" (in the available downloads for the MIDJA studies) for more information.

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. 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. This new cross-sectional 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.

MIDUS Refresher datasets can be linked via the MRID variable.

Studies

33 results

Midlife in the United States: Core Sample Mortality Data, 1995-2025

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.

With support from the National Institute on Aging, an initial follow-up of the original Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) samples was conducted in 2004 (MIDUS 2). The daily stress and cognitive functioning projects were repeated at MIDUS 2; in addition the protocol was expanded to include biomarkers and neuroscience. In 2005, a baseline sample of 592 African Americans from Milwaukee was added to MIDUS to examine health issues in minority populations.

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 (e.g., economic recession experiences, optimism and coping, stressful life events, and caregiving). A third wave of cognitive functioning data and a second wave of the Milwaukee sample were also collected. Data collection for the daily diary, biomarkers, and neuroscience is ongoing. This dataset includes mortality information for all known MIDUS decedents (N=2,822) from the Core National and Milwaukee samples as of December 2025.

Midlife in the United States (MIDUS Refresher 2): Cognitive Project, 2022-2025

The MIDUS Refresher sample is the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. The MIDUS study seeks to understand how factors in the lives of American adults such as working conditions, relationships, health, finances, personal outlooks and individual choices impact health and well-being as individuals age from early adulthood to later life. This second wave of the study with the refresher sample also sought to shed light on how U.S. adults have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and how these experiences are linked with their health, broadly defined.

In 2022-2025, the second wave of cognitive assessments were carried out on the MIDUS Refresher participants who had completed the MIDUS Refresher 2 survey interview. The first part of the assessments consists of the Brief Test of Adult Cognition via Telephone (BTACT) including seven subtests: word list recall immediate, word list recall delayed, backward digit span, number series, counting backward speed, category fluency, and an attention switching reaction time task. The second part consists of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-BLIND), which is newly introduced at the Refresher 2. It is an adapted version of the original MoCA, a rapid screening instrument for mild cognitive dysfunction, and tests seven cognitive domains: attention and concentration, memory, language, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation.

Restricted

Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 3): Milwaukee African American Sample, 2016-2017

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.

Variables

45,535 results
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