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NLSY79 Child and Young Adult

What I Am Like/Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC)

Created variables

  • SPPCGyyyy. WHAT I AM LIKE/SELF-PERCEPTION PROFILE FOR CHILDREN: SELF-WORTH RAW SCORE
  • SPPCSyyyy. WHAT I AM LIKE/SELF-PERCEPTION PROFILE FOR CHILDREN: SCHOLASTIC RAW SCORE
  • SPPCGFyyyy. WHAT I AM LIKE/SELF-PERCEPTION PROFILE FOR CHILDREN: SELF-WORTH #I MISSING
  • SPPCSFyyyy. WHAT I AM LIKE/SELF-PERCEPTION PROFILE FOR CHILDREN: SCHOLASTIC #I MISSING

The Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) is a self-report magnitude estimation scale that measures a school-age child's sense of general self-worth and self-competence in the domain of academic skills (Harter 1982, 1985). The Self Perception Profile for Children, as developed by Susan Harter, has five subscales to assess perceived domain-specific competence in scholastics, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, and behavioral conduct and one scale to assess overall self-worth (global self-worth). The twelve items selected from the original scale for use in the NLSY79 Child assessment translate into two subscores: a global self-worth score and a scholastic competence score. There is no overall self-perception score. These two scales represent two of six subscales developed by Susan Harter. A full description of all the subscales appears in the SPPC Manual (Harter 1985). The NLSY79 protocol for this assessment is also explained and illustrated in the user version of the Child Supplement (available on the Questionnaires page).

Description of the SPPC

The SPPC has twelve items. Scale items are typically phrased as follows: "Some kids like the kind of person they are BUT other kids often wish they were someone else." Children select which option is most like them and then indicate whether the statement is sort of true or really true for them.

The graphical format and layout of the CAPI screens for SPPC can be found in the documentation for the Child Supplement (available on the Questionnaires page). Sample pages from the SPPC are included as an appendix to the Child CAPI Supplement.

Administering the SPPC

Interviewers administer this instrument directly by reading each statement to the child, then asking "which kind of kid is more like you?" Interviewers then follow up by asking whether or not the particular response is "really true for you" or "sort of true for you." Older children have the option of reading along on printed cards and simply answering whether they are more like the "X" side or the "Y" side of the card. 

Scoring the SPPC 

Each of the two subscales includes six items. Each item has a value of between one and four. The global self-worth score is a summation of the six "even-numbered" items, beginning with the second item. The scholastic competence score is a summation of the odd numbered items, beginning with item one.  Higher total SPPC scores represent greater scholastic competence or greater global self-worth. Documentation for each subscore in the current survey round is found in Table 1 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section.

For a small number of cases, there are some missing items. In these instances, a prorated score is computed, assigning average values to the missing items.  Flag variables that identify the degree to which cases have been prorated are included in each year's data. For example, a value of zero on these flags indicates that all items were completed and no proration performed; a "1" indicates that one item was missing, and so on.

Age eligibility for the SPPC

  • 1986-1992: all children ages eight and over
  • 1994: all children ages 8-14
  • 1996-2014: all children 12-14
  • 2016-current: Young Adults ages 12-13

From 1986 to 1992 the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) was administered to children ages 8 and older. With the introduction of the Young Adult survey in 1994, the SPPC was capped at age 14. Beginning with the 1996 survey through 2014, SPPC was administered only to children ages 12-14. Beginning in 2016, the SPPC was administered as part of the Young Adult survey to Young Adults ages 12 and 13.

Norms for the SPPC

Only raw scores, which are a simple summation of the six individual items in each scale, are provided, as no national norms are available. Note that raw scores were not created in 2020 due to the small number of respondents eligible for this assessment.

Completion rates for the SPPC 

The SPPC assessment has a relatively high completion rate, with modest ethnic or racial variability. The current completion rate is somewhat lower than in recent prior rounds. Table 6 in the Child Assessments--Introduction section contains the completion rate for the SPPC in the 2016 survey round.

Validity and reliability of the SPPC

Readers interested in information about the validity and reliability of the early rounds of the NLSY79 Child data for this assessment may want to examine the discussions of SPPC in the NLSY79 Child Handbook:1986-1990 and The NLSY Children, 1992: Description and Evaluation, both available on the Research/Technical Reports page. In general, the reported reliabilities for the NLSY79 administration of these two subscales, in the early survey rounds, are somewhat lower than those reported by Harter (1985, 1990). She reports internal reliability of about .8 compared with .67 for the NLSY79 coefficients, which were computed for child samples of relatively younger mothers. This may partly reflect differences between the samples in their racial, ethnic, or socio-economic mix.

Researchers who have used the NLSY79 SPPC measures have relied on the constructed SPPC scores that are provided in the public child file. Using the 6-item global self-worth subscale, Baydar, Hyle, and Brooks-Gunn (1997) report a significant effect of a sibling birth on global self-worth, particularly among children from economically disadvantaged families. Turner (2000) used the scholastic subscale and found that children resistant to overall delinquency, including drug use, reported greater self-perceived scholastic competence than children who report engaging in delinquent behavior and drug use (p.137 and p.160).  Both the NLSY Child Handbook: 1986-1990 and The NLSY Children, 1992: Description and Evaluation include more extensive evaluations of the reliability and validity of these two subscores; the NLSY Child Handbook reviews other literature on the topic. These documents are available on the Research/Technical Reports page.

As a final note, it appears that there has been some escalation in the scores of the Global Self-Worth assessment over time. The reasons for the decline in the proportion with very low scores remain unclear, but may be related to changes in cultural norms over time, the gradual increase in the socio-economic background, and age of mother of children in this age range in more recent survey rounds.

Age differences on the SPPC

There is some evidence in prior survey rounds that children under ten (who had been administered this assessment in the pre-1996 survey years), may have had greater difficulty in understanding some of the items. For this reason, scores for younger children may have been somewhat less reliable and valid.  In this regard, it is useful to note that within and cross-year correlations between the two SPPC subscales and the various other cognitive assessments are significantly higher for children age ten and over than for eight and nine year olds. The zero-order correlation between the two subscales was about 0.3 for eight- and nine-year-olds compared with 0.4 for children age ten and over (NLSY Child Handbook: 1986-1990). For younger children, there is little association between the two scores and demographic or socioeconomic priors (The NLSY Children, 1992: Description and Evaluation).

Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Assessment Items
Child Supplement

McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities - Verbal Memory

Created variables

  • VERBAyyyy. VERBAL MEMORY: PARTS A & B (WORDS) RAW SCORE
  • VERBAPyyyy. VERBAL MEMORY: PARTS A & B (WORDS) PERCENTILE SCORE
  • VERBAZyyyy. VERBAL MEMORY: PARTS A & B (WORDS) STANDARD SCORE
  • VERBCyyyy. VERBAL MEMORY: PART C (STORY) RAW SCORE
  • VERBCPyyyy. VERBAL MEMORY: PART C (STORY) PERCENTILE SCORE
  • VERBCZyyyy. VERBAL MEMORY: PART C (STORY) STANDARD SCORE

Note: This assessment was included in 1986-1994 only.

The Verbal Memory subscale of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities was last administered in the NLSY79 Child survey in 1994. This assessment taps a child's short-term memory in response to auditory stimuli. The Verbal Memory subtest selected for use in the NLSY79 Child is only one of six scales that form the complete McCarthy assessment battery. Verbal Memory was administered by first asking the child, age three through six years, to repeat words or sentences said by the interviewer (Parts A and B). Then the child listens to and retells the essential aspects of a short story read aloud by the interviewer (Part C).

Administration of Verbal Memory

From 1986 to 1990, both the word and sentence components as well as the story part of the assessment were administered. In 1992 and 1994, administration was limited to the word/sentence component of the assessment. This means that in 1992 and 1994, only the first two parts (A and B) of Verbal Memory were administered. After 1994, due to cost reasons and concerns about data quality, administration of this assessment was discontinued.

Scoring Verbal Memory

In the first half of the word-sentence component of the assessment (Part A), the score that the child received was contingent on the child repeating a series of words, ideally in the same sequence that they were uttered by the interviewer. In Part B of this first section, the child was scored according to the number of key words that he or she repeated from a sentence read by the interviewer. The combined total score for Parts A and B determined whether the story (Part C) was administered. In Part C, the child was read a story paragraph and then scored on the basis of his or her ability to recall key ideas from that story. National norms are available for this assessment, so children were assigned normed scores based on his or her performance in comparison with a nationally representative sample.

The number of correct responses to the words and sentences on pages 50 and 51 in the 1994 Child Supplement (the last year the assessment was administered) were combined to generate one total raw score. 

As noted in the 1986 through 1990 rounds of data collection, the Verbal Memory assessment included a "Part C" or a "Story" section. Children who received this assessment in 1986-1990 received two scores in each year. Entry into the "Story" was contingent upon receiving a minimum combined score of 8 on Part A plus Part B. The researcher may note that there were a few instances of children entering and receiving a score on Part C who had received an invalid skip score on Part A and Part B. While it may not have been possible to score A and B for various reasons, the available information was sufficient for the scorer to be confident that the A and B score was at least 8. Children who received a valid score of less than 8 on Part A and Part B were automatically assigned a zero on Part C. This explains the considerable heaping at the zero outcome for Part C.

The scoring on Part C is a simple summation of the number of key words/phrases identified correctly from the paragraph on page CS-36 of the 1990 Child Supplement. No proration was attempted for missing responses. The individual items appear on page CS-38 of that supplement. 

Age eligibility for Verbal Memory

Verbal Memory has typically been completed by children between the ages of three and six, although in 1990, administration was limited to ages four to six. In all child survey years it was only administered to age-eligible children who had not previously (in a prior round) completed the assessment. The precise administration pattern by year is noted in Table 4 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section. 

Norms for Verbal Memory

Appropriate national norms are available in the McCarthy manual (McCarthy, 1972: 205). Thus, percentile and standard scores are available for linking with the raw scores. A total raw score and two normed scores were generated for Part C in 1986 through 1990. From an analytical perspective, the prospective user may note that the distributions of the percentile and standard scores for Part C are somewhat uneven, reflecting the fact that the Part C outcome allowed for only 12 possible responses (0 and 1 through 11) with a major heaping as noted, at the zero category. The fact that the percentile/standard scores assigned to the various raw scores vary by the age of the child helps to smooth the normed pattern somewhat. However, the user is encouraged to examine the pattern of normed responses before proceeding with his or her research. As with all of the assessments in the Child Supplement, the Child Supplement age variable (CSAGE) should be used when stratifying the sample by age of child.

Completion rates for Verbal Memory 

The 1994 completion rate for Parts A and B was only about 82 percent, below the completion rate for all of the other child-administered assessments. Hispanic children had a completion rate of only 77 percent, substantially below that for other children. Thus, as with some of the other assessments, there is surface evidence that language constraints come into play when evaluating the reliability and potential validity of this assessment. With regard to this assessment, it is important to note that a Spanish translation was not utilized. Since this test measures English language verbal retention, a language bias is likely for at least some children. Hispanic children and children of less educated mothers are heavily over-represented among those who could not be scored in the "invalid response" subset.

Validity of Verbal Memory

While this subscale has a high face validity regarding what it purports to measure, the user should be sensitive to the fact that the scoring of Part C, the story section, undoubtedly includes an element of subjectivity. Interviewers can, in some instances, disagree regarding whether or not a child's specific response was indeed a "correct" or "incorrect" interpretation of an aspect of the story. Also, to some extent, the verbatim verbal responses recorded by the interviewer could, in some instances, be coded in different manners by different interviewers. In order to test this latter premise, NORC had the 1986 verbatim responses for about 400 children independently coded by two coders. There was complete agreement between coders for 92 percent of the respondents.

At a different level, there is also some possibility that the Part A response patterns reflect a lack of precision in the instruction, an ambiguity that also exists in the McCarthy manual. The instructions (for Part A) only ask the child to repeat the words that the interviewer reads to him or her, but do not specify that the words should be repeated in the same sequence. However, in the scoring, the respondent loses a point if the words are repeated out of sequence. Thus, the extent to which the words were repeated in or out of sequence may have been a function of how the instructions were understood, an artifact that could attenuate the reliability of the Part A score.

Additional information about Verbal Memory

Verbal Memory has been one of the most difficult of the assessments to administer because of the ambiguity involved in determining whether a child does not know an answer or is just shy (see Baker and Mott, 1995 for a discussion of this issue and its impact on the assessment). This is primarily an issue with younger children who had not previously been tested or had not been in a formal school environment. With the introduction of the CAPI administration procedures in 1994, one additional problem became apparent. The number of cases scored "zero" increased substantially, but interviewer comments suggest that many of these cases really should have been "non-completions." This is discussed in detail in Baker and Mott (1995). For the reasons noted above, this assessment should be used cautiously. Additional discussion relating to the reliability and validity of this assessment, as well as how it has been used by other researchers, can be found in the NLSY Child Handbook: 1986-1990 and in The NLSY Children, 1992:Description and Evaluation, both available on the Research/Technical Reports page.

Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Child Supplement

Memory for Locations

Created variables

  • LOCAyyyy. MEMORY FOR LOCATION: TOTAL RAW SCORE
  • LOCAIyyyy. MEMORY FOR LOCATION: SCORING CRITERIA FLAG
  • LOCAPyyyy. MEMORY FOR LOCATION: PERCENTILE SCORE
  • LOCAZyyyy. MEMORY FOR LOCATION: STANDARD SCORE

Note: This assessment was included in 1986 and 1988 only.

The Memory for Locations assessment was completed by age-eligible NLSY79 children in 1986 and 1988 only. It was developed as a measure of a child's short-term memory and has been extensively used by Jerome Kagan of Harvard University (Kagan 1981). The child, aged eight months through three years, watches as a figure is placed under one of two to six cups. The cups are screened from a child's view for one to fifteen seconds; the child is then asked to find the location of the figure. Items increase in difficulty as the number of cups and/or the length of time during which the cups are hidden from view increases. A child's score is based on his or her ability to select the cup hiding the figure. The Memory for Locations assessment is found in Section 4 of the 1986 Child Supplement and the 1988 Child Supplement, available on the Questionnaires page.

Scoring Memory for Locations

The number of individual items that a child can potentially answer in this assessment is contingent on the age of the child. Children between the ages of 8 and 23 months start with item 1, the easiest question; children who are at least two years of age begin with item 4, and children age three start with item 7. A child's score is based on the highest (most difficult) question answered. A child who cannot answer the entry item receives a raw score of zero regardless of where he or she enters. Otherwise, if Q.1 is the highest item answered correctly, the child receives a score of 1. The maximum score is 10, if the tenth or final item is correctly answered. A child under two years of age is eligible to receive a score between zero and ten; a child age three, by virtue of the fact that he or she enters at item seven, can only receive a raw score of 0, 7, 8, 9, 10. Because external norms were not available, internally normed standard and percentile scores were developed. The user is still advised to use the normed scores cautiously because of the unusual distribution of raw scores described above.

Because of the complexity of the administration procedures for the Memory for Locations assessment, a number of responses were not coded precisely according to the decision rules. On the advice of the assessment developer, children who followed a sequence that might have led to "extra learning" (as part of the assessment administration process) were still scored. For example, if a child was asked Q.1B after having correctly answered Q.1A, the child was scored and not given an "invalid skip" code, even though, theoretically, the child was supposed to proceed directly from Q.1A to Q.2A. In addition, a careful examination of the individual responses suggests that there were a number of children who began the assessment at an improper entry point but who ended up at a level where they would, in all likelihood, have wound up anyway. In these instances, a score was provided for the children and these cases were "flagged" with a code of "2" on the Memory for Location flag variable (C07977.00 for 1988 and C05782.00 for 1986). A code of "1" on this flag includes all scored cases except those defined as 2s. Researchers who plan to use this assessment extensively should carefully examine the actual response patterns to individual items. Individual researchers may choose to impose scoring criteria that are more or less stringent than those used in computing the raw scores provided in this data file.

Age eligibility for Memory for Locations

In the 1986 and 1988 Child surveys, children aged 8 months to 3 years were eligible to complete Memory for Locations.

Additional information about Memory for Locations

The Body Parts and Memory for Locations assessments were no longer used in the NLSY79 Child surveys following the 1988 Child data collection effort, partly because of funding constraints and partly because of the greater difficulty in administering them to children in a home setting. Interviewers found it difficult to make an unambiguous determination as to whether a child was unable to respond or whether he or she was just shy. It was sometimes difficult to be definitive regarding the direction in which a child was pointing, either toward a cup or toward a body part.

This assessment displays a clear tendency to "top out" for the oldest children in the sample. That is, a very large proportion (63 percent in 1986) of all three-year-olds and 32 percent of two year olds received the maximum raw score of ten on the assessment. A relatively normal distribution may be in evidence only for children below the age of two.

Finally, evaluation of these two assessments in 1986 showed little in the way of significant linkages between a wide range of socio-economic antecedents and these two outcomes. However, more recent research suggests that these two assessments may be useful independent predictors of cognitive development (Mott, et al., 1995) since Body Parts and Memory for Location scores in 1986 are highly significant predictors of Peabody assessments in 1992. It appears that, in standard multivariate analyses, these early child cognitive measures may indeed be useful predictors of aptitude and achievement measures six years later.

Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Child Supplement

Parts of the Body

Created variables

  • BODYyyyy. KNOWLEDGE OF BODY PARTS: TOTAL RAW SCORE
  • BODYIyyyy. KNOWLEDGE OF BODY PARTS: SCORING CRITERIA FLAG
  • BODYPyyyy. KNOWLEDGE OF BODY PARTS: PERCENTILE SCORE
  • BODYZyyyy. KNOWLEDGE OF BODY PARTS: STANDARD SCORE

Note: This assessment was included in 1986 and 1988 only.

The Parts of the Body assessment was completed by age-eligible NLSY79 children in 1986 and 1988 only.  Developed by Jerome Kagan of Harvard University, Parts of the Body attempts to measure a one- or two-year-old child's receptive vocabulary knowledge of orally presented words as a means of estimating verbal intellectual development.  The interviewer names each of ten body parts and asks the child to point to that part of his or her body.

Scoring Parts of the Body

The child's score is computed by summing the items that a child correctly identifies (C07972. for 1988 and C05799. for 1986). Thus, a minimum score is 0 and a maximum score is 10.  No proration was attempted since the later items in the sequence are more difficult than the earlier items. A Spanish version of this assessment was available for use with young Hispanic children. A complete protocol for the Body Parts assessment can be found in Section 3 of the 1986 Child Supplement and the 1988 Child Supplement, available on the Questionnaires page.

Because of inconsistency in the way some interviewers interpreted the instructions, the Body Parts assessment was scored in 1988 using three alternate criteria.  First, a child had to answer each of the ten items either (1) correctly or (2) incorrectly on at least one of the two attempts (see page CS-18 in the 1988 Child Supplement). If scoring was completed according to this criteria, then the case was coded a "1" on the Body Parts scoring criteria flag (C07973.00). A second, less restrictive criterion, allowed some of the individual items to be coded "3" (no answer) on some of the attempts. For this subset of children, a code of "3" was treated as an incorrect response and the overall assessment was accordingly scored. These cases can be identified by a value of "2" on the Body Parts criteria flag. Children for whom virtually all the responses were coded "3" (and translated into incorrect responses) received a value of "3" on the Body Parts criteria flag.  Thus, users may restrict analyses to the more constrained sample or opt to include only children who had been scored according to the less conservative definitions. As with all the assessments, users who plan to use a particular assessment are strongly urged to evaluate the scoring schema and data quality according to their own criteria. While we have made every effort to create scores that are faithful to the intentions of the assessment designers, there are instances where researchers could reasonably disagree about what precise scoring procedures should be utilized. The Body Parts assessment was given to very young children for whom there could be considerable ambiguity in differentiating between "incorrect" and "nonresponses."

Age eligibility for Parts of the Body

In the 1986 and 1988 Child surveys, Parts of the Body was administered to children between the ages of 1 and 2 years.

Norms for Parts of the Body

As no appropriate national norms are available for scoring this assessment, CHRR provided (for 1988) internally normed standard and percentile scores. No normed results are provided for 1986. As the raw score on this assessment is extremely sensitive to the age of the child, users of the raw scores are encouraged to apply appropriate techniques that permit analytical comparisons of children across different ages. When controlling for age, the user should select the appropriate Child Supplement age variable that specifies the child's age (in months) as of the Child Supplement interview date.

Completion, validity, and reliability for Parts of the Body

Notwithstanding the availability of a Spanish version of this assessment in the NLSY79, the user should proceed cautiously when interpreting its reliability and validity, particularly with regard to minority and relatively more disadvantaged children. It appears that a child's score may be quite sensitive to the child's English language capabilities as well as rapport with the interviewer. In 1986, the non-completion rate for this assessment was about 17 percent. For about half of the completed assessments, a child is reported to have not responded on at least one question, requiring the alternate assumptions with regard to scoring we describe above to be made. For a more complete discussion of the reliability and internal validity of this assessment and the Memory for Location assessment, please see pages 30-31 in The NLSY Children, 1992: Description and Evaluation, available on the Research/Technical Reports page.

Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Child Supplement

Behavior Problems Index (BPI)

Created variables

  • BPIyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL RAW SCORE
  • BPIPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL PERCENTILE SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • BPIPXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX
  • BPIZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL STANDARD SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • BPIZXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX
     
  • ANTIyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANTISOCIAL RAW SCORE
  • ANTIPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANTISOCIAL PERCENTILE SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • ANTIPXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANTISOCIAL PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX
  • ANTIZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANTISOCIAL STANDARD SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • ANTIZXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANTISOCIAL STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX
     
  • ANXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANXIOUS/DEPRESSED RAW SCORE
  • ANXPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANXIOUS/DEPRESSED PERCENTILE SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • ANXPXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANXIOUS/DEPRESSED PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX
  • ANXZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANXIOUS/DEPRESSED STANDARD SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • ANXZXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: ANXIOUS/DEPRESSED STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX
     
  • DEPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: DEPENDENT RAW SCORE
  • DEPPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: DEPENDENT PERCENTILE SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • DEPPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: DEPENDENT PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX
  • DEPZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: DEPENDENT STANDARD SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • DEPZXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: DEPENDENT STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX
     
  • HEADyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HEADSTRONG RAW SCORE
  • HEADPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HEADSTRONG PERCENTILE SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • HEADPXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HEADSTRONG PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX
  • HEADZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HEADSTRONG STANDARD SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • HEADZXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HEADSTRONG STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX
     
  • HYPRyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HYPERACTIVE RAW SCORE
  • HYPRPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HYPERACTIVE PERCENTILE SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • HYPRPXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HYPERACTIVE PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX
  • HYPRZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HYPERACTIVE STANDARD SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • HYPRZXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: HYPERACTIVE STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX
     
  • PEERyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: PEER CONFLICTS/WITHDRAWN RAW SCORE
  • PEERPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: PEER CONFLICTS/WITHDRAWN PERCENTILE SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • PEERPXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: PEER CONFLICTS/WITHDRAWN PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX
  • PEERZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: PEER CONFLICTS/WITHDRAWN STANDARD SCORE - ALL CHILDREN
  • PEERZXyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: PEER CONFLICTS/WITHDRAWN STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX
     
  • BPTOTRyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL RAW SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
  • BPTOTPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL PERCENTILE SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
  • BPTOTZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL STANDARD SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
     
  • BPINTRyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: INTERNAL SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
  • BPINTPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: INTERNAL PERCENTILE SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
  • BPINTZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: INTERNAL STANDARD SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
     
  • BPEXTRyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: EXTERNAL SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
  • BPEXTPyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: EXTERNAL PERCENTILE SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
  • BPEXTZyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: EXTERNAL STANDARD SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS
     
  • BPIENRLyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: IS CHILD ENROLLED IN SCHOOL (available 2000 - current survey round)
  • BPMISSyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL RAW SCORE - PRORATION FLAG (available 2002 - current survey round)
  • BPMIS2yyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: EXTERNAL RAW SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS - PRORATION FLAG (available 2002 - current survey round)
  • BPMIS3yyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: INTERNAL RAW SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS - PRORATION FLAG (available 2002 - current survey round)

Description of the Behavior Problems Index (BPI)

The Behavior Problems Index was created by Nicholas Zill and James Peterson to measure the frequency, range, and type of childhood behavior problems for children age four and over (Peterson and Zill 1986). Many items were derived from the Achenbach Behavior Problems Checklist (Achenbach and Edelbrock 1981) and other child behavior scales (Graham and Rutter 1968; Kellam et al., 1975; Rutter, Tizard and Whitmore 1970). In 1981 the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Child Supplement collected data on a nationwide probability sample of 15,416 children 17 years of age and under. Mothers of children 4-17were asked a series of structured questions concerning their child's problem behaviors and use of mental health services (NCHS 1982: 100-102). The specific questions varied somewhat depending on the age of the child. The behavior problem items utilized in the NLSY79 Child surveys were developed from these items.

The NLSY79 Child BPI

The Behavior Problems Index (BPI) used in the NLSY79 Child includes 28 questions administered to mothers in the Mother Supplement: items 1-26, 31, and 32. These questions ask mothers about specific behaviors that their children ages four and over may have exhibited in the previous three months. Three response categories are used: (1) "often true," (2) "sometimes true," and (3) "not true." (Note: Items 27 through 30 are not part of the Behavior Problems scale. They were added by CHRR to tap dimensions that are particularly relevant for older children.)

The BPI items in the NLSY79 Child are used to derive two types of summary "total" scores, as well as a set of distinct clusters of items, representing common syndromes of problem behavior found in children and adolescents. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was used to verify that the BPI contained separable dimensions similar to those that were hypothesized to occur, and that the groups of items used to compute the subscale scores did hang together as expected (Zill, 1985). The two types of overall "total" BPI scores as well as related subscales are described below.

Scores based on dichotomized items

The NLSY79 Child database provides one overall BPI score and six subscores based on the dichcotomized recoding of the original items. The six subscores are produced by summing across subsets of dichotomized responses to items in the following domains: (1) antisocial behavior, (2) anxiousness/depression, (3) headstrongness, (4) hyperactivity, (5) immature dependency, and (6) peer conflict/social withdrawal. Appendix D in the Codebook Supplement displays the components of these subscales.

In computing scores for the overall Behavior Problems Index, and the set of six subscales defined above, responses to the individual items are first dichotomized and then summed. In this recoding process, each item answered "often" or "sometimes true" is given a value of one. Each item answered "not true" is assigned a value of zero. Higher scores therefore represent a greater level of behavior problems.  Users should note that two of the items (Q.31 Is disobedient at school and Q.32 Has trouble getting along with teachers) are appropriate only for children who have attended school.  Only the overall score and the antisocial subscore use these two items. Thus, for the overall BPI score and antisocial subscore, parallel raw scores are computed for children in school and children not yet in school. For children ages 4-5, not in school, the total dichotomized-based BPI score is comprised of 26 items. For children ages 4-11 in school, the total is based on 28 items and for children ages 12 and older, the BPI total includes 23 items. Available as raw, percentile, and standardized scores, these dichotomized-based scales are identified in the NLSY79 Child database according to the following sets of question names: 

  • BPIyyyy
  • ANTIyyyy
  • ANXyyyy
  • DEPyyyy
  • HEADyyyy
  • HPRyyyy
  • PEERyyyy

The composition of each of these scores can be found in Appendix D, Parts 1 and 2.

Scores based on trichotomous item recodes

In addition to the dichotomous-based scales described above, three additional scales have also been created based on trichotomous recodes of the original three answer responses. CHRR has prepared a set of BPI scores that measure overall problems based on trichotomous items, and two scores that measure a child's tendency to internalize problems or externalize behaviors. The overall trichotomous-based BPI score is based on a summation of 26 items for children ages 4-5, 28 items for children age 6-11, and 23 items for children age 12 and older. The internalizing scores for children age 4-11 include 10 items and 6 items for children age 12 and older. The externalizing score is based on 18 items for children age 4-5, 20 items for children age 6-11, and 19 items for children age 12 and older. Available as raw, percentile, and standardized scores, these trichotomous-based scales are assigned the following question names: 

  • BPTOTRyyyy
  • BPTOTPyyyy
  • BPTOTZyyyy
  • BPEXTRyyyy
  • BPEXTPyyyy
  • BPEXTZyyyy
  • BPINTRyyyy
  • BPINTPyyyy
  • BPINTZyyyy

The composition of each of these scores can be found in Appendix D, Parts 1 and 3.

In constructing the trichotomous-based scores that reflect a child's tendency to internalize or externalize behaviors, the individual items are not dichotomized.  Rather, these scores are summed from trichotomous inputs that are first recoded from the original three responses: 1 (Often True), 2 (Sometimes true) and 3 (Not true) into 0 (Not true), 1 (Sometimes true) and 2 (Often true). The composition of these trichotomous-based overall total score and the externalizing and internalizing scales can be found in Appendix D.

Imputation of BPI scores

Since 1992, imputed values have been assigned for the overall dichotomous raw score for all children for whom one item only was missing. Norms are also provided for all those children. Similarly, scores have been imputed for the trichotomous-based overall, internal, and external subscales where only one item is missing. Starting in 2000, the total trichotomous score (BPTOTR) was no longer imputed. Imputation flags (assigned to the ASSESSMENT area of interest) are available that identify those cases that have been prorated (see question names for these variables listed below). 

  • BPMISSyyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: TOTAL RAW SCORE - PRORATION FLAG
  • BPMIS2yyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: EXTERNAL RAW SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS - PRORATION FLAG
  • BPMIS3yyyy. BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS INDEX: INTERNAL RAW SCORE TRICHOTOMOUS ITEMS - PRORATION FLAG

Score formats/codebook conventions

The overall dichotomous raw score includes one extra digit, with the final digit representing one implied decimal place. The external and internal raw scores have been rounded to the nearest full digit.

Age eligibility for the BPI

From 1986 through 2014, the Behavior Problems Index (BPI) was administered to NLSY79 mothers for each of her children ages 4-14. In 2016, the BPI was administered to NLSY79 mothers for children ages 4 to 13. The BPI was not administered after 2016.

Norms for the BPI

Single-year age norms were developed from the 1981 National Health Interview Survey administration for all children and for males and females separately. With the exception of the non-dichotomous scores (based on trichotomous items), overall as well as "same-gender" normed scores have been created based on data from the 1981 National Health Interview Survey. Girls are systematically more likely to be reported as exhibiting "better" behavior on most of these scales. Normed scores for the BPI include both percentile and standard scores (with a national mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15) and are based on single year of age data. For children below the age of six, separate norms are created for children in school and out of school.

Nationally normed percentile and standard scores are provided for the three trichotomous scores (total, internal, and external), but normed "same-gender" scores are not available.

As with the other mother-report assessments, a user who wishes to select a sample of children of a particular age should use MSAGEyyyy, the child age variable based on the date the Mother Supplement was administered. Users will find the Behavior Problems scores for the most recent survey year documented in Table 1 in the Child Assessments--Introduction section of the User's Guide. The components of the BPI scores are listed in Appendix D, as are the BPI norming tables.

Completion rates for the BPI

Through 2000, the overall completion rate for the Behavior Problems scale was about 93 percent, with somewhat lower levels of completion by Hispanic children in the sample. With the introduction of CAPI administration of the Mother Supplement in 2002, overall completion rates for the BPI have increased to over 95%.

Validity and reliability of the BPI

The Behavior Problems Index is among the most frequently used of the NLSY79 child assessments, both as an outcome in its own right and as a robust predictor of a wide range of child attitudes and behaviors.

A fully representative sample of children would be expected to have a mean standard BPI score of 100, however mean scores for the NLSY79 child sample in the early survey rounds are one to two points above this level. In more recent survey rounds, scores on the BPI closely approximate the norming. While the age-specific BPI scores vary over time, the evidence suggests that the sample of NLSY79 children may have normed scores not substantially different from the overall 1981 national norming sample.

Researchers continue to frequently use the BPI assessment in studies based on the NLSY79 child data. The overall scale, typically used more often that its subscales, is often seen as an outcome predicted by family circumstances and parental characteristics. The overall index has also been used to test the reliability and validity of other scales, such as the temperament scales (Baydar 1995). Original or modified versions of the internalizing and externalizing subscales have been used as determinants and outcomes in a number of studies (Chase-Lansdale and Gordon 1996; McLeod and Shanahan 1993; McLeod and Edwards 1995; Mott, Kowaleski-Jones, and Menaghan 1997; Guttmannova, Szanyi, and Cali 2007; McCarty, Zimmerman, Diguiseppe, and Christakis 2005).

The six NLSY79 Child behavior problem subscales (antisocial, anxious/depressed, headstrong, hyperactive, dependency, and peer conflict) are often used as child outcomes of interest within a single study. The antisocial and anxious/depressed subscales are also studied separately in some cases. Several researchers have created their own subscales from the items in the BPI child assessment to use as child outcomes. The most frequently studied outcome of this type is oppositional action, a fifteen-item scale that represents "acting out" behaviors (Cooksey, Menaghan and Jekielek 1997).

The NLSY79 Child Handbook: 1986-1990 discusses additional literature on this assessment. The NLSY Children, 1992: Description and Evaluation includes a discussion of the reliability and validity of the assessment based on the earlier waves of child data. Both of these documents are available on the Research/Technical Reports page. Users are encouraged to review an annotated listing of research in which the BPI scales are used by accessing the NLS online bibliography.

NOTE: Several scales and items related to behavior problems are administered as part of the NLSY79 Young Adult survey once child respondents reach young adult age. For example, the following 6-point Schieman Anger scale is administered to young adults starting with the 2008 survey:

1 Q16-6GA NUMBER OF DAYS R FELT ANNOYED OR FRUSTRATED
2 Q16-6GB NUMBER OF DAYS R FELT ANGRY
3 Q16-6GC NUMBER OF DAYS R FELT CRITICAL OF OTHERS
4 Q16-6GD NUMBER OF DAYS R YELLED AT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING
5 Q16-6GE NUMBER OF DAYS R FELT RAGE
6 Q16-6GF NUMBER OF DAYS R LOST TEMPER
Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Assessment Items
Mother Supplement

Motor and Social Development (MSD)

Created variables

  • MOTOyyyy. MOTOR & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: RAW SCORE 
  • MOTOPyyyy. MOTOR & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: PERCENTILE SCORE-ALL CHILDREN 
  • MOTOZyyyy. MOTOR & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: STANDARD SCORE-ALL CHILDREN 
  • MOTOPXyyyy. MOTOR & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: PERCENTILE SCORE - SAME SEX 
  • MOTOZXyyyy. MOTOR & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: STANDARD SCORE - SAME SEX

Note: The MSD assessment was not administered in the 2004 NLSY79 Child survey.

The Motor and Social Development scale (MSD) was developed by the National Center for Health Statistics to measure dimensions of the motor, social, and cognitive development of young children from birth through three years. The items were derived from standard measures of child development (Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Gesell Scale, Denver Developmental Screening Test), which have high reliability and validity (Poe 1986). The scale was developed for use in the 1981 National Health Interview Survey (a large national health survey that included 2,714 children up to age four) and in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1988-1994). Analyses by Child Trends, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization, of the scale in the 1981 Child Health Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey established the age ranges at which each item's developmental milestone is generally reached by U.S. children (Peterson and Moore 1987). The MSD scale has been used in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (Statistics Canada) and by other smaller scale studies of child development such as the Boston Infant Follow-up Program.

Based on the child's age, NLSY79 mothers answer fifteen age-appropriate items out of 48 motor and social development items. These items have been used with a full spectrum of minority children with no apparent difficulty. Prior to 2002, a Spanish version of the scale was available to NLSY79 mothers whose principal language was Spanish.

Description of the MSD

The NLSY79 Motor and Social Development assessment has eight components (parts A through H) that a mother completes contingent on the child's age. Part A is appropriate for infants during the first four months of life (i.e., zero through three months) and the most advanced section, Part H, is addressed to children between the ages of 22 and 47 months. Each section contains 15 yes/no questions about whether the child has ever performed each age-appropriate behavior. For example, the mother of an infant less than 3 months of age is asked questions such as whether her child's eyes have ever followed a moving object from one side to the other, or smiled at someone when that person talked to or smiled at the child. A mother of a child aged 22-47 months is asked questions such as whether their child has ever walked up stairs (one foot on each step), or said his or her first and last name with no help.

Scoring the MSD

All of the MSD items are dichotomous (no=0, yes=1)). The total raw score for children of a particular age is obtained by summing all the "yes" responses in the age-appropriate section. No proration has been undertaken on this assessment since the proportion of missing items is modest and there was some question about the appropriateness of the procedure, given that later items in the assessment tend to be more difficult than earlier items, and hence non-response is not random across items.

Age eligibility for the MSD

In the 1986-2000 surveys, MSD scores were generated for children ages 0-3 years. In 2002 very young children were not administered assessments, which means that MSD scores were not generated for children under age 2 years in 2002. The MSD was not administered in 2004 due to budget constraints. From 2006 to 2016, mothers completed the MSD for children ages 0-3.

Norms for the MSD

Associated with each raw score is a series of norms: (1) an overall age-based percentile and standard score and (2) same-gender by age percentile and standard scores. That is, boys were scored using the male national norms and girls were assigned female national norms, and both genders received combined gender norm scores. Normed scores are provided in Appendix C in the NLSY79 Child/YA Codebook Supplement.

Normed scores were constructed by CHRR using data from the nationally representative sample in the 1981 Child Health Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey (National Center for Health Statistics 1984). Analyses by Child Trends (a non-profit, non-partisan research organization) of the scale in the 1981 Child Health Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey established the age ranges at which each item's developmental milestone is generally reached by U.S. children (Peterson and Moore 1987).

Completion rates for the MSD

The overall completion rate for the MSD assessment showed a decline through 1998 and then increased to higher levels once the Mother Supplement became a CAPI instrument in 2000. The overall completion rate for the current survey round can be found in Table 6 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section. A substantial proportion of the non-completions in pre-CAPI years resulted from situations where the mother skipped the section in the paper booklet or inadvertently left a number of the items blank.

Validity and reliability of the MSD

Readers interested in information about the validity and reliability of the NLSY79 Child data for this assessment may want to examine the discussions of the MSD in the NLSY79 Child Handbook: 1986-1990 and The NLSY Children, 1992: Description and Evaluation, both available on the Research/Technical Reports page. Analyses based on the NHANES III data indicate that low birth weight status and pre-term delivery are associated independently with small, but measurable, delays in MSD (Hediger et al., 2002).

Age, gender, and racial differences on the MSD

Caution should be exercised when interpreting results for three-year-olds, the oldest group completing this assessment. The Motor and Social Development assessment tends to "top out" for three-year-olds and does not provide a sensitive ceiling for these older children. For this reason, researchers using the assessment should include an age control in any multivariate analyses even when they are using normed scores. In general, the distribution of scores for NLSY79 children on this assessment tends to be more peaked for the youngest and oldest children (e.g., see Table 3.3 in the 2002 version of The NLSY79 Child Assessments: Selected Tables, available on the Research/Technical Reports page).

While not described in these tables, it is also useful to note reported gender differences at the youngest ages. Infant girls score significantly higher than their male counterparts, consistent with other evidence regarding early gender differences in motor and social development. Researchers interested in analyzing boys or girls separately are reminded that discrete gender-specific norms are available.

These items have been used with a full spectrum of minority children with no apparent difficulty.

MSD scores in the database

There are 5 summary scores for the MSD. In addition to the raw score, there are overall and gender-specific standard scores and percentile scores. 

Question names for the raw scores, overall scores, and same-gender normed scores for Motor & Social Development, from the final survey round, are listed in Table 1 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section.

Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Assessment Items
Mother Supplement

Temperament (How My Child Usually Acts)

Created variables

  • ACTVTYyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: ACTIVITY RAW SCORE 
  • PREDCTyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: PREDICTABILITY RAW SCORE 
  • FEARyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: FEARFULNESS RAW SCORE 
  • AFFECTyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: POSITIVE AFFECT RAW SCORE 
  • COMPLYyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: COMPLIANCE RAW SCORE 
  • INSECURyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: INSECURE ATTACHMENT RAW SCORE 
  • SOCIAByyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: SOCIABILITY RAW SCORE 
  • DIFFICFyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: DIFFICULTY COMPOSITE RAW SCORE (only in 1986, 1988)
  • DIFFICyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: DIFFICULTY COMPOSITE RAW SCORE-ABBREV 
  • NEGATVyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: NEGATIVE HEDONIC TONE COMPOSITE RAW SCORE 
  • FRIENDFyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: FRIENDLINESS COMPOSITE RAW SCORE (only in 1986, 1988)
  • FRIENDyyyy. HOW MY CHILD USUALLY ACTS/TEMPERAMENT: FRIENDLINESS COMPOSITE RAW SCORE-ABBREV

The temperament scales assess aspects of the child's usual behavior, including activity level, affective attributes, attachment styles, compliance, and sociability.  The temperament scales were adapted from Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire and Kagan's compliance scale. Because the child's temperament is partially a parental perception, the behavioral style of children in the NLSY79 was measured by a set of age-appropriate, maternal-report items and interviewer ratings. Ten distinct scores tap various dimensions of temperament of children between the ages of 0 and 6, although not all dimensions are appropriate for all age groups.

Description of the temperament scales

At the time of the design of the initial NLSY79 Child survey design, no single instrument seemed adequate to use for measuring child temperament, within the context of a large national survey administered by lay personnel. As a result, a temperament scale was developed, based on Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire, Campos and Kagan's Compliance Scale, and other items from Campos.

The temperament scale is divided into three sections, according to the age of the child. The specific (questionnaire) items for each Temperament score and the age appropriateness of the scores are indicated in Appendix B in the NLSY79 Child/YA Codebook Supplement. The maternal scale "How My Infant Usually Acts" addresses the activity, predictability, fearfulness, positive affect, and friendliness of infants below age one. "How My Toddler Usually Acts" addresses the fearfulness, positive affect, and friendliness of one-year-olds. "How My Child Usually Acts" measures the compliance and attachment of two- and three-year-olds and additionally, the friendliness of children aged four through six. For children ages three through six, the interviewer rates the child's shyness when first introduced, shyness at the end of the session, and the child's cooperation, interest and motivation, energy, persistence, and attitude toward and rapport with the interviewer during the assessment.

Administration of the temperament scales

From 1986-1998, child temperament questions were administered in the Mother Supplement self-report booklet. In 2000, the items about child temperament were administered in the CAPI Child Supplement for children under age 4. In 2002, the temperament items returned to the Mother Supplement.  Starting in 2006, all Mother Supplement assessments, including temperament, were integrated into a section of the mother's own main Youth questionnaire and were administered for each age-eligible child.  Three items from the sociability scale for children aged 4 to 6 were completed by the interviewer as part of the Child Supplement. The final year for administration of any temperament scales was 2016; some scales ended sooner as children aged out of the various sections. Question names and final administration year for each scale are shown in Table 1 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section.

Scoring of the temperament scales

A total of ten distinct scores tap various dimensions of temperament, but not all dimensions are appropriate for all ages.  The specific (questionnaire) items for each Temperament score and the age appropriateness of the scores are indicated in Appendix B.

The behavioral tendencies of the child are rated by the mother on a five-point scale, ranging from Almost Never (value of 1) to Almost Always (value of 5).  The scores of the various scales are computed by summing the individual items in the scale where appropriate.  Some items are recoded in reverse before summing. The question names for reverse-coded items are in bold in Appendix B. If any item component of a subscale was missing, that subscore was not computed. 

An important and necessary change was made beginning with the 1990 Temperament scoring. Because in some survey rounds children under the age of four are not administered any of the Child Supplement items, it is necessary to truncate two scales addressed to younger children. These are the difficulty composite score for children between the ages of 8 months and 23 months and the friendliness scale for children under the age two. For researchers requiring comparability over time, abbreviated and unabbreviated versions of the scores for 1986 and 1988 are included in the public use file.

Norms

Since no appropriate national norms are available for this assessment, only raw scores are provided.

Completion rates for the temperament scales

In general, completion rates for this assessment are quite high, often well above 90 percent, primarily because this mother-report assessment is part of the mother's main Youth interview. Table 6 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section contains the completion rate for the Compliance temperament scale in the current survey round.

Reliability and validity of the temperament scales

An evaluation of the reliability and validity of the temperament scales is included in The NLSY Children 1992 (p. 22-24), available on the Research/Technical Reports page. This document examines, within a multivariate context, the extent to which selected temperament scores are independently linked to a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic antecedents while also predicting other child outcomes in subsequent survey rounds. Confirmatory factor analyses of the infant temperament items provide additional support for the five proposed infant temperament scales (Colder, Mott, & Berman, 2002; Lahey, Van Hulle, Keenan, Rathouz, D'Onofrio, Rodgers & Waldman, 2008).

Temperament scores in the database

The complete listing of reference numbers for the assessment scores for the final survey round can be found in Table 1 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section.

Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Assessment Items
Mother Supplement
Child Supplement [2000 survey year only]

The HOME (Home Observation Measurement of the Environment)

Created variables

  • HOMEAyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART A (0-2 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE
  • HOMEByyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART B (3-5 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE
  • HOMECyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART C (6-9 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE
  • HOMEDyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART D (10-14 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE
  • HOMEZyyyy. HOME INVENTORY: TOTAL STANDARD SCORE
  • HOMEPyyyy. HOME INVENTORY: TOTAL PERCENTILE SCORE
     
  • COGNAyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART A (0-2 YRS): COGNITIVE STIMULATION RAW SCORE
  • COGNByyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART B (3-5 YRS): COGNITIVE STIMULATION RAW SCORE
  • COGNCyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART C (6-9 YRS): COGNITIVE STIMULATION RAW SCORE
  • COGNDyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART D (10-14 YRS): COGNITIVE STIMULATION RAW SCORE
  • COGNZyyyy. HOME INVENTORY: COGNITIVE STIMULATION STANDARD SCORE
  • COGNPyyyy. HOME INVENTORY: COGNITIVE STIMULATION PERCENTILE SCORE
     
  • EMOTAyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART A (0-2 YRS): EMOTIONAL SUPPORT RAW SCORE
  • EMOTByyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART B (3-5 YRS): EMOTIONAL SUPPORT RAW SCORE
  • EMOTCyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART C (6-9 YRS): EMOTIONAL SUPPORT RAW SCORE
  • EMOTDyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART D (10-14 YRS): EMOTIONAL SUPPORT RAW SCORE
  • EMOTZyyyy. HOME INVENTORY: EMOTIONAL SUPPORT STANDARD SCORE
  • EMOTPyyyy. HOME INVENTORY: EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PERCENTILE SCORE
     
  • HOMEFAyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART A (0-2 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE-# ITEMS MISSING
  • HOMEFByyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART B (3-5 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE-# ITEMS MISSING
  • HOMEFCyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART C (6-9 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE-# ITEMS MISSING
  • HOMEFDyyyy. HOME INVENTORY PART D (10-14 YRS): TOTAL RAW SCORE-# ITEMS MISSING (available for 1998-2014)

The Home Observation Measurement of the Environment-Short Form (HOME-SF) is the primary measure of the quality of a child's home environment included in the NLSY79 child survey. It has been extensively used as both an input in helping to explain other child characteristics or behaviors and as an outcome in its own right for researchers whose objective is to explain associations between the quality of a child's home environment and earlier familial and maternal traits and behaviors.

The HOME-SF is a modification of the HOME inventory (Caldwell and Bradley 1984, 1992), a unique observational measure of the quality of the cognitive stimulation and emotional support provided by a child's family. The HOME-SF is about half as long as the original HOME Inventory, an adaptation necessitated by survey time and cost constraints. More than half of the HOME-SF's items are multi-response maternal reports that were reworded, with the assistance of the instrument's designers, from the original HOME Inventory's dichotomous observer ratings.

In addition to the overall HOME-SF score, the Child file includes two subscores: a cognitive stimulation and emotional support score. These are also described below.

Description of the HOME

A complete listing of the HOME-SF items appears in Appendix A in the NLSY79 Child/YA Codebook Supplement. From 1986-1998, all mother-report HOME items were located in Section 1 of the Mother Supplement. In 2000 the HOME items designed for children under age four were moved to the Child Supplement, but returned to the Mother Supplement the following survey year. All the mother report HOME items were consolidated in the Mother Supplement starting in 2002, the year the Mother's questionnaire was converted to CAPI. The HOME items based on interviewer observation appear in the Child Supplement for all survey years.

The HOME-SF is divided into four parts based on child age: (1) children under age three; (2) children ages 3-5; (3) children ages 6-9; and (4) starting with the 1988 survey round, children ages 10 and over. As outlined more fully below, the set of questions included in the HOME sections of the survey was expanded at several survey points. Note: None of the added items affect the overall HOME score or subscores in any way.

Bettye Caldwell designed the Infant version of the original HOME Inventory and, with Robert Bradley, developed the Preschool and School Age versions. Bradley and Caldwell reviewed and approved the final draft of the Infant, Preschool, and Elementary HOME-SF versions used in the 1986 Mother and Child Supplements of the NLSY79, and Bradley was involved in a 1988 review of what has now become known as the HOME-SF to distinguish it from the original.

Changes in the HOME

The following changes have been made to the HOME sections since they were included in the first child survey in 1986:

  • In 1988 a version of the mother-report HOME was added for children 10 and older (in 1986 one set of items was used for all children ages 6 and older). 
  • Beginning with the 1992 Mother Supplement, code categories were added to the questions on the relationship of the child's father/father-figure to the mother, and a category was added to the parent efficacy question for children ages xx and older. 
  • Beginning in 1994, one additional sequence was added to the HOME assessment to measure child-parent closeness: Mothers are asked how close each of her children feels to her, to the child's biological father, or to his or her stepparents (e.g., see Q16a for children under the age of three).
  • In 1996, check questions asking if the child ever sees his or her father were dropped.
  • In 2000 only, the HOME questions addressed to the mother for children under the age of 4 years were moved from the paper Mother Supplement to the Child Supplement. In 2002 all the mother report HOME items were returned to the Mother Supplement. While the question format was slightly altered from the Mother Supplement paper questionnaire for CAPI administration starting in 2002, the content of these items remains the same.

Important information: Interviewer observation availability

Starting in 2006, only children age 4 years and older are given the interviewer-administered assessments. Therefore, raw HOME scores for children under age 4 exclude the interviewer observation items starting in 2006.

Scoring the HOME-SF and its subscores

The total raw score for the HOME-SF is a simple summation of the recoded individual item scores and it varies by age group, as the number of individual items varies according to the age of the child. The procedure used to recode non-dichotomous responses into a 1,0 form is documented in Appendix A. The data transformation process used in all survey years was essentially the same.

The total HOME-SF score and the two subscores have one implied decimal place. For example, a score of 30 in the public data file is really 3, and so on. In addition, total scores were imputed for children where one or more of the component items had inadvertently been left unanswered. The imputation procedure assigns an average value, derived from all those items that had been completed, to each of the unanswered items. Proration flag variables specify the number of items that require imputation for the different age groups; a score of zero on this proration flag variable means that all individual component items were answered. Since the maximum number of missing items in the early paper questionnaire survey rounds can range up to a total of 26, users may wish to check the flags that indicate the total number of missing items (HOMEFA-Dyyyy) for the extent of imputation applied in the total score. For the two subscores specified below, a more stringent proration rule was followed: scores were derived only for cases where no more than one item was missing.

Recoding of HOME items

Prior to constructing an overall score and the two subscores for the HOME-SF, all of the individual items were translated into dichotomous zero-one variables and then summed. The precise recoding used in computing the HOME scores can be found in Appendix A. The dichotomous HOME items, available for on the public data file, are assigned respectively to the following areas of interest:

  • ASSESSMENT 1996 (C17600.01-C17600.89)
  • ASSESSMENT 1998 (C18996.00-C19084.00)
  • ASSESSMENT 2000 (C25061.00-C25149.00)
  • ASSESSMENT 2002 (C25344.00-C25432.00)
  • ASSESSMENT 2004 (C28047.00-C28135.00)
  • ASSESSMENT 2006 (C31140.00-C31220.00)
  • ASSESSMENT 2008 (C36182.00-C36262.00) 
  • ASSESSMENT 2010 (C39970.00-C40050.00) 
  • ASSESSMENT 2012 (C55408.00-C55488.00) 
  • ASSESSMENT 2014 (C58161.00-C58231.00)

Cognitive stimulation and emotional support subscales

In addition to the overall HOME-SF score, the Child file includes two subscores: a cognitive stimulation and emotional support score. The (questionnaire item) components of the total scale, as well as cognitive stimulation and emotional support subscales are specified in Appendix A. Because there are no appropriate national norms available for the overall HOME-SF score or its components, internally normed standard and percentile scores are provided for the overall HOME-SF scores and for the cognitive stimulation and emotional support subscores.

The HOME discipline items

Several of the HOME-SF items required review and coding of verbatim comments from the mother in order to fully utilize the responses originally coded as "other." The HOME-SF Part B (for children 3-5) contains items concerning the mother's response to the child hitting her (question HOME-B08B starting in 2002). Part C (for children 6-9) and Part D (for children 10-14) of the HOME-SF contain items concerning the mother's response to the child saying "I hate you" or swearing at her in a tantrum (question series HOME-C22B and HOME-D21B respectively, starting in 2002). These items are recoded "1" if the parent's response is moderate, defined as without harsh reprisal. Note: For question names prior to 2002, users should search on "spank" using Word in Title in NLS Investigator.

The discipline item for children ages 3-5 contributes to the HOME-SF scale scores only when certain alternatives ("send to room," "talk," "ignore," and "give a chore") are selected and the "other" alternative is without harsh reprisal--that is, if a mild reaction is the first response. The discipline item is scored zero if any of the following are selected: "hit," "spank," or the "other" alternative is harsh. Harshness is defined as either extensive or excessive deprivation (time-out longer than two hours; deprivation longer than two days) or physical punishment (firmly grasping the child, spanking then talking, or talking then spanking).

The HOME discipline item for children 6 and older was scored in a similar manner. Yelling back and withdrawal of love were assigned a value of "1" if there was no indication of a severe or physical response. The item is scored zero if "spanking" is selected or if the "other" alternative is excessive (longer than three hours of time-out; longer than three days of deprivation) or if physical means ("eat soap") are the first types of punishment selected. Examples of verbatim scores as harsh are "break him up," "spank and ground for two weeks," and "spank then explain why." If the length of time was not specified ("send to room"), then it was assumed to be a moderate amount of time, so scoring the item was mild. Other examples of verbatims scored non-harsh are "never happens," "depends on the situation," "stand in corner until apologizes." Another example of a mild response (conveying no harsh discipline) was "give him something to eat." A few other verbatims should be noted. Some mothers selected the "hit" category and commented, "Then say I'm sorry," while others who checked "hit" said, "But not like I'd hit an adult." The latter were scored as harsh and assigned a value of "0."

Three primary coders were typically used in this process. Inter-coder reliability on the coding of the HOME discipline items has been evaluated using Cohen's Kappa and also by computing percent disagreement. In 2002 and 2004 there was 100 percent agreement on the recoding decisions for the discipline items.

Important information: Normed scores

Please note also that while raw scores are specific to a child's age at a particular survey point, a single set of normed scores is created for each survey round, regardless of the child's age.

Age eligibility for the HOME

All children under the age of 15 living with their mothers are eligible for the HOME assessment (until 1994 all children, regardless of age, had a HOME supplement completed by their mother). Thus, children born by the 1986 survey date (and still below the age of 15 in 2002) may have eight rounds of HOME scores available. Children born between 1986 and 1988 may have seven HOME scores and children born since the 1988 survey can have up to six HOME scores--assuming of course that their mothers completed a HOME assessment for them at the relevant survey points. The HOME was not administered after the 2014 survey round.

Norms for the HOME

Internal norms for the NLSY79 HOME were developed using standard normal curve assumptions. Children were normed on a single year of age basis with each (weighted) single year age of age group being assigned a standard score mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15. Percentile scores were derived from the standard scores using an inverse normal routine. To the extent that the single year of age data deviate from normality, this procedure produces less than optimal results. An alternate percentile score can be generated using the empirical cumulative distribution function by age that is computed using the sampling weights. That frequency distribution could be used to crosswalk from raw score to percentile score.

Completion rates for the HOME

Table 6 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section indicates the number and types of children at different ages for which a HOME assessment was completed in the current survey round. Overall, 88 percent of children (under age 15) interviewed or assessed this round have a valid HOME score. This level of completion for the HOME assessment is slightly lower than the level that has been maintained over recent survey rounds. Completion rates are lower for the youngest children, because the interviewer observation items at the end of the Child Supplement are less likely to be completed for this age group. In recent survey rounds, since there are no assessments directly addressed to children under the age of four, interviewers are less likely to see the mother in direct contact with the child, and thus may be unable to answer items that require direct observation of mother-child contact. (This lack of data is a more significant issue with respect to the emotional support subscore than the overall HOME-SF score because the conditions permitting proration of subscores are more stringent, as noted above.)

Validity and reliability for the HOME

The HOME assessment is one of the most used child assessments. It is widely employed both as an input, predicting many other child outcomes, and as an outcome in its own right. For example, analyses based on the NLSY79 child data indicate that the HOME-SF is closely related to several different indices of family poverty, and, that the measure is sensitive to increments in family income, particularly when looking at children born into poverty. The overall HOME-SF scale and the cognitive stimulation and emotional support subscales are used frequently as outcomes of interest predicted by various family circumstances, such as mothers' and fathers' employment. These measures of the home environment are often used as predictors of children's cognitive and/or behavioral outcomes using PPVT, PIAT, and BPI scores. Studies that utilize existing or previously constructed measures from the HOME-SF typically cite one or more of the following sources for reliability and validity information: Baker and Mott, 1989; Menaghan and Parcel, 1989 & 1991; Luster and Dubow, 1990 & 1992; Parcel and Menaghan, 1990. A comprehensive review evaluates the strengths and limitations of the NLSY79 HOME-SF scales as well their utility in research across a variety of disciplines (Mott, 2004).

Researchers have used variations on the overall HOME-SF scale to isolate a facet of the home environment for theoretical reasons. For example, father presence has been isolated in some studies so that its unique effects can be examined (Mott, 1993; Baydar, 1995). Although not as frequently utilized as the overall scale and the two main subscales, individual items and researcher-constructed subscales representing a variety of specific concepts are also studied as predictors and as outcomes. For example, some studies use measures of discipline/punitiveness constructed from one or more HOME-SF items to predict later child behavioral outcomes (Dornfeld and Kruttschnitt, 1992; McLeod and Shanahan, 1993; McLeod et al., 1994; Rodgers et al., 1994; Parcel and Geschwender, 1995; Straus et al., 1997; McLoyd and Smith, 2002).

Some researchers with concerns about the reliability of some of the subscales have opted to rely on the overall HOME-SF (Ketterlinus et al., 1992). Some analysts, who have conducted confirmatory factor analysis on factor structures for the HOME-SF for younger children, recommend that the HOME-SF should not be thought of as measuring a single concept (Ferron et al., 1994). Researchers with concerns about the validity of the HOME for Hispanic children should be aware that, during the survey years in which there were significant numbers of Spanish-speaking mothers and children, the instrument was available in Spanish.  An extensive discussion of the unique aspects and numerous applications of the NLSY79 HOME scales can be found in Mott, 2004.

An extensive body of research has developed in which the NLSY79 HOME scales have been used. The NLSY Child Handbook: 1986-1990 describes this research in detail through 1990, emphasizing earlier work that examined the reliability and validity of the HOME. The NLSY Children-1992 provides further evidence regarding linkages between the HOME scale and subscales, and a variety of family and maternal antecedents. Finally, The NLSY79 Child Assessments: Selected Tables provides detailed distributions by age and race/ethnicity for the overall HOME scores and the two subscores. All of these documents are available on the Research/Technical Reports page. Data users are encouraged to use the online, searchable NLS Annotated Bibliography to identify the extensive publications using the HOME items.

HOME scores in the database

As indicated above, the items that mothers complete depend on the age of their child: children under age 3 years, 3-5, 6-9, and 10 and over follow different question sequences. The HOME items and the recoding instructions can be found in Appendix A. Question names for the raw and normed HOME scores for the final survey round are listed in Table 1 in the Child Assessments—Introduction section.

Areas of Interest Assessment [scores]
Assessment Items
Mother Supplement
Child Supplement

Introduction

The NLSY79 Child surveys contain a wide range of detailed assessment information about the children of female respondents. Beginning in 1986, a battery of child cognitive, socio-emotional, and physiological assessments has been administered biennially for age-appropriate children. Many of the assessments, and much of the supplemental information about each child, have been based on reports from the child's mother. These reports include child demographic and family background characteristics, health history (both pre- and postnatal), and information on the child's home environment, including maternal emotional and verbal responsiveness and involvement with her child. Direct assessment of the children through the Child Supplement was done from 1986 to 2014. Mother-based child assessments, collected through the Mother Supplement, were completed from 1986 to 2016. Each of the child assessment measures is discussed in detail in this and the following sections.

Starting with the 1994 survey, children ages 15 and older were no longer assessed, but instead complete an interview modeled on the NLSY79 main Youth questionnaire administered to their mothers. Users are reminded that, while young adults are no longer administered the child instruments, they possess a child history represented in the child data file. Data obtained in the surveys during the time the young adult children were under age 15 are included as part of the child files and documented in such areas of interest as CHILD BACKGROUND and ASSESSMENT for each survey year. Most young adults have at least one survey round in which they were assessed as a child. See Table 2 in the Retention section for the distribution of the number of child interviews for the NLSY79 Young Adults.

Note that beginning with the 2016 survey round, the children ages 12 to 14 have been included in the Young Adult fielding. Young Adults aged 14 complete the same set of items as 15 and 16 year olds. The 12 and 13 year olds, however, answer a more limited number of questions which include several items from the Child Self-Administered Supplement as well as the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) from the Child Supplement.

What Assessments Are Used and When?

The assessments used in the Child surveys were selected on the basis of their validity, reliability, and suitability for use in a large-scale household survey. The selection was designed to accommodate a range of child ages and a broad spectrum of dimensions in the child's development. In the following section, information is presented on the nature of each assessment and how each one is administered and scored. Issues essential to using the assessment data are highlighted. The following assessments, listed here and then discussed in detail (in separate sections), have been used in the Child surveys:

  1. The HOME-Short Form - items from the HOME (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) Inventory, developed by Bradley and Caldwell, designed to measure the nature and quality of the child's home environment from birth to adolescence. This assessment was not administered after 2014.
  2. How My Child Usually Acts/Temperament - items from Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire, Kagan's Compliance Scale and other items from Campos, which combine to form a set of maternal-report scales measuring temperament or behavioral style over the past two-week period for each child under age seven. The final year of administration for this assessment was 2016; some components ended earlier (see table 1 in this introduction).
  3. Motor and Social Development (MSD) - items drawn from Poe, Bayley, Gesell, and the Denver Developmental Screening Test, which measure motor-social-cognitive development for children under age four. The MSD was not administered in 2004 or after 2016.
  4. Behavior Problems Index (BPI) - items from Zill and Peterson's adaptation of the Child Behavior Checklist, developed by Achenbach and Edelbrock, which elicit mother ratings of children four years of age or older in such areas of problem behavior as hyperactivity, anxiety, dependency, aggressiveness, and peer conflict. This assessment was not administered after 2016.
  5. Parts of the Body - ten items, developed by Kagan, that measure the ability of children aged one or two to identify various parts of their bodies. This assessment was not administered after 1988.
  6. Memory for Locations - an assessment, developed by Kagan, that measures the ability of children eight months of age through three years to remember the location of an object which is subsequently hidden from view. This assessment was not used after 1988.
  7. Verbal Memory - a subtest of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (Psychological Corporation) that assesses short-term verbal memory of children aged three through six years to remember words, sentences, or major concepts from a short story.  Part C, the story, was not used after the 1990 survey.  This assessment was not administered after 1994.
  8. What I Am Like/Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) - two scales from Harter's Self Perception Profile for Children that measure perceived self-competence in the academic skill domain and sense of general self-worth for children aged eight and above (12 and above beginning in 1996). Starting in 2016, this assessment is administered as part of the Young Adult survey for Young Adults ages 12 and 13.
  9. Memory for Digit Span - a component of the revised Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (Psychological Corporation) which assesses the ability of children seven through eleven years of age to remember and repeat numbers sequentially in forward and reverse order. This assessment was not administered after 2014.
  10. Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) Math - (American Guidance Service), a PIAT subtest that offers a wide-range measure of achievement in mathematics for children ages five or older. This assessment was not administered after 2014.
  11. PIAT Reading Recognition and Reading Comprehension - (American Guidance Service), PIAT subtests that assess the attained reading knowledge and comprehension of children with a PPVT age of five and older. This assessment was not administered after 2014.
  12. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R), Form L - (American Guidance Service), a wide-range test used to measure the hearing vocabulary knowledge of children ages three and above. Administered to children age 4 and 5 or 10 and 11 starting with the 1996 survey round. This assessment was not administered after 2014.

Changes in the Child Assessments

Over time there have been changes in the administration of various assessments in the Child surveys. Details on changes in the content, administration, or scoring of particular assessments are discussed in the appropriate assessment-specific sections below. Two assessments, Memory for Location and Body Parts, were administered in 1986 and 1988, but have since been deleted from the data collection effort due to funding constraints. However, the 1986 and 1988 individual items and scores for these two assessments remain in the data file and are available to users.

Not all assessments are fielded in each child survey year. In some instances, assessments are administered only to children for whom no valid score has been obtained during a previous survey. 

  • Child Index Group. In 1988 a procedure was introduced by which children ages 10 or 11 were designated to complete any assessment for which they were age-eligible in order to establish a representative index group for future analyses. 
  • SPPC age. Starting in 1996, the Self-Perception Profile (What I Am Like) is only administered to children ages 12 and over. Starting in 2016, the SPPC is administered to Young Adults ages 12 and 13.
  • Verbal Memory. The McCarthy Verbal Memory Subscale was administered for the final time in 1994.
  • MSD in 2002 & 2004. In 2002 very young children were not administered assessments, which means that Motor and Social Development scores were not generated for children under age 2 years in 2002. In 2004, Motor and Social Development (previously completed for children ages 0-3 years in the 1986-2000 surveys and 2-3 years old in 2002) was not administered.
  • Temperament age. The minimum age in 2004 for the completion of the Temperament (What My Child is Like) assessment was 3 years. In survey years 1986-2000, mothers completed the Temperament scales for children 0-6 years and ages 2-6 years in 2002.
  • Young Adult eligibility. Beginning with the 2016 survey round, the Child Supplement was not fielded, and children ages 12 to 14 were included in the Young Adult fielding. Young Adults aged 14 complete the same set of items as 15 and 16 year olds. The 12 and 13 year olds, however, answered a more limited number of questions, which include several items from the Child Self-Administered Supplement as well as the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) from the Child Supplement.

Users are urged to examine the NLSY79 Child and Young Adult data collection instruments, which include representations of each assessment, in order to understand the assessments that were administered to various age groups and to learn about variations in administration across survey rounds.

What Assessment Scores Are Computed?

The NLSY79 Child data files contain summary scores for each assessment measure. For a subset of assessments, subscores are constructed. Where available, the user is provided with national norms based on the raw scores. Table 1 lists the raw and normed scores that are available for the most recent Child survey year. Summary scores and subscores for 2016, the most recent survey, can be found in the ASSESSMENT 2016 area of interest in the NLS Investigator. For prior survey rounds, summary scores and subscores can be found in the ASSESSMENT yyyy area of interest, where "yyyy" refers to the fielding year for each survey round.

The data file includes individual item responses as recorded in the field as well as interviewer reports of testing conditions for each assessment. Beginning in 2006, individual assessment item responses can be found in the ASSESSMENT ITEMS area of interest. For prior survey rounds, individual item responses can be found using the CHILD SUPPLEMENT yyyy or MOTHER SUPPLEMENT yyyy area of interest, where "yyyy" refers to the fielding year for each survey round. Edit or imputation "flags" are constructed for selected assessments to indicate where prorations were necessary or where alternate scoring schemes were considered. Scoring procedures are addressed below in relation to specific assessments.

Table 1: Most recent assessment scores on the NLSY79 Child File

Assessment

Raw

Percentile

Standard

Total HOME1

 

HOMEP2014

HOMEZ2014

  0-2 Years

HOMEA2014

 

 

  3-5 Years

HOMEB2014

 

 

  6-9 Years

HOMEC2014

 

 

  10-14 Years

HOMED2014

 

 

HOME Cognitive Stimulation1

 

COGNP2014

COGNZ2014

  0-2 Years

COGNA2014

 

 

  3-5 Years

COGNB2014

 

 

  6-9 Years

COGNC2014

 

 

  10 -14 Years

COGND2014

 

 

HOME Emotional Support1

 

EMOTP2014

EMOTZ2014

  0-2 Years

EMOTA2014

 

 

  3-5 Years

EMOTB2014

 

 

  6-9 Years

EMOTC2014

 

 

  10-14 Years

EMOTD2014

 

 

Temperament
  Activity2

ACTVTY2010

 

 

  Predictability2

PREDCT2010

 

 

  Fearfulness3

FEAR2012

 

 

  Positive Affect3

AFFECT2012

 

 

  Compliance

COMPLY2016

 

 

  Insecure Attachment

INSECUR2016

 

 

  Sociability

SOCIAB2014

 

 

  Difficulty Composite - Abbrev.3

DIFFIC2012

 

 

  Neg. Hedonic Tone Composite3

NEGATV2012

 

 

  Friendliness Composite - Abbrev.3

FRIEND2012

 

 

Motor & Social Development -- All

MOTO2016

MOTOP2016

MOTOZ2016

  Same Gender

 

MOTOPX2016

MOTOZX2016

Behavior Problems

BPI2016

BPIP2016

BPIZ2016

  Antisocial

ANTI2016

ANTIP2016

ANTIZ2016

  Anxious/Depressed

DEP2016

DEPP2016

DEPZ2016

  Headstrong

HEAD2016

HEADP2016

HEADZ2016

  Hyperactive

HYPR2016

HYPRP2016

HYPRZ2016

  Dependent

DEP2016

DEPP2016

DEPZ2016

  Peer Conflicts

PEER2016

PEERP2016

PEERZ2016

  Trichotomous Items

BPTOTR2016

BPTOTP2016

BPTOTZ2016

  External Score

BPEXTR2016

BPEXTP2016

BPEXTZ2016

  Internal Score

BPINTR2016

BPINTP2016

BPINTZ2016

Self-Perception

 

 

 

  Scholastic

SPPCS201844

 

 

  Self-Worth

SPPCG201844

 

 

Digit Span

DIGIT2014

 

DIGITZ2014

  Forward

DIGITF2014

 

 

  Backward

DIGITB2014

 

 

PIAT Math

MATH2014

MATHP2014

MATHZ2014

PIAT Reading Recognition

RECOG2014

RECOGP2014

RECOGZ2014

PIAT Reading Comprehension

COMP2014

COMPP2014

COMPZ2014

PPVT-R

PPVT2014

PPVTP2014

PPVTZ2014

1 Internal norms provided.
2 These Temperament subscale scores are only available for survey years 1986-2000, 2008-2010.
3 These Temperament subscale scores are available for survey years 1986-2002, 2008-2012.
4 SPPC questions were asked in 2020 but composite scores were not created due to the small sample size.
Note: Question names for Knowledge of Body Parts and Memory for Location, last administered in 1988, and Verbal Memory, last administered in 1994, are not included in this table. See the Topical Guide for each of these assessments for more information about the scores available in the database.

Members of the CHRR staff have examined the assessment data as carefully as possible while preparing the assessment scores for the public use files. Researchers who encounter data or documentation problems with the assessments are encouraged to contact NLS user services. Should a problem be detected, we will inform data users by posting updates to NLSinfo.org and by correcting subsequent public releases.

Other child assessment documentation. Key references related to the assessments are cited in the References section. Users interested in additional research based on the NLSY79 child assessment data are encouraged to access the annotated, online NLS Bibliography.

Detailed information about the validity of the Child data through the 1992 survey round can be found in the NLSY79 Children 1992: Description & Evaluation.  Background information on the child assessment data in the initial child survey rounds is discussed in The NLSY Child Handbook. Both documents are available on the Research/Technical Reports page.

Tables that describe the Child assessment scores in each survey round, starting with the 1994 data collection, can be found in a series of reports entitled The NLSY79 Child Assessments: Selected Tables. These reports display distributions of the raw and normed assessment scores by various child characteristics such as age and race/ethnicity. They are also available on the Research/Technical Reports page.

Which Children Are Assessed?

In the initial 1986 Child survey round efforts were made to assess all biological children of NLSY79 mothers, regardless of their residence status. Starting in 1988, the sample of children eligible for assessment was restricted to children living part or full-time with their mothers.

Table 2 displays the number of children interviewed in the final 2016 survey by single year of age and race/ethnicity. Information on the number of children interviewed in earlier survey rounds can be found below. (The age range exceeds 14 years in the table for years prior to 1994, since that marks the first year of the Young Adult interview.)

Table 2. NLSY79 Children Interviewed by Single Year of Age and Race/Ethnicity, 2016
Child Age in Years at Interview Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic Black White Total
2 years 0 0 1 1
3 years 0 0 0 0
4 years 0 0 0 0
5 years 0 2 0 2
6 years 0 0 2 2
7 years 0 0 1 1
8 years 0 0 1 1
9 years 0 2 3 5
10 years 1 2 6 9
11 years 3 5 6 14
12 years 9 5 8 22
13 years 8 2 14 24
14 years 1 1 2 4
Total 22 19 44 85
NOTE: In 2016, mothers completed the Mother Supplement for children in the household at least part-time who would be 13 or younger as of Dec 31, 2016. Some eligible children turned 14 by the date of their mother's interview. Some of these children ages 12 to 14 were also interviewed as Young Adults.

A number of factors help explain the decline in the numbers of children interviewed in recent survey rounds. The primary reason is the diminished child-bearing of the NLSY79 women as they age through their forties and into their fifties and hence out of their childbearing years. In Table 2 above what we see is the distribution of children born to older women, i.e. the tail end of the fertility distribution for the NLSY79 cohort of women. All children ages 12 and older would have been born to NLSY79 women ages 35 and older.

Users should note that the distribution of children interviewed should not be equated with the number of children who completed the assessments. The distributions in Table 2 (and the related past-rounds table below) simply indicate the number and types of children for whom some child interview information, collected in one of the child instruments, is available.

NLSY79 Children Interviewed by Age and Race/Ethnicity, 1986-1992

H=Hispanic, B=Black (non-Hispanic), NBNH=Nonblack/non-Hispanic

Child Age at Int. 1986 1988 1990 1992
H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total
< 1 96 157 321 574 97 132 321 550 80 112 217 409 76 84 178 338
1 111 167 345 623 101 134 309 544 94 139 224 457 81 93 249 423
2 111 172 300 583 113 149 314 576 104 127 230 461 84 124 238 446
3 121 184 289 594 117 169 360 646 105 117 212 434 91 131 213 435
4 137 167 283 587 102 157 304 563 104 139 217 460 117 136 226 479
5 91 157 228 476 108 169 306 583 112 158 247 517 109 121 216 446
6 83 161 201 445 130 173 274 577 100 148 205 453 111 145 211 467
7 68 112 146 326 99 158 256 513 105 165 188 458 111 146 252 509
8 48 105 117 270 82 169 232 483 136 155 170 461 108 149 194 451
9 27 78 93 198 62 130 153 345 86 146 166 398 93 156 187 436
10 21 74 60 155 52 103 123 278 81 149 147 377 136 153 174 463
11 15 41 25 81 36 77 121 234 63 118 94 275 92 155 146 393
12 4 17 15 36 29 84 69 182 49 94 65 208 86 140 143 369
13 4 9 5 18 16 52 39 107 33 83 54 170 68 108 90 266
14 - 2 2 4 10 20 20 50 27 62 39 128 47 95 67 209
15 - 1 - 1 1 15 9 25 16 50 19 85 28 72 49 149
16+ - - - - 3 4 3 10 9 32 11 52 45 125 60 230
Total 937 1,604 2,430 4,971 1,158 1,895 3,213 6,266 1,304 1,994 2,505 5,803 1,483 2,133 2,893 6,509
Note: While the NLSY79 Young Adult surveys started in 1994, with children ages 15 and older, children in this older age range were interviewed as part of the Child surveys prior to 1994.

 

NLSY79 Children and Young Adults Interviewed by Age and Race/Ethnicity, 1994-2000

H=Hispanic, B=Black (non-Hispanic), NBNH=Nonblack/non-Hispanic

Child Age at Int. 1994 1996 1998 2000
H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total
< 1 52 68 153 273 46 46 113 208 36 39 105 180 29 25 55 109
1 72 91 193 356 42 56 140 238 35 42 113 190 27 27 59 113
2 73 90 187 350 52 80 169 301 49 42 110 201 32 28 103 163
3 80 100 240 420 63 80 184 327 39 59 156 254 25 35 97 157
4 84 115 228 427 68 82 174 324 57 77 154 288 33 35 102 170
5 98 142 211 451 76 91 233 400 62 76 178 316 24 41 130 195
6 94 133 226 453 88 120 205 413 72 88 161 321 26 43 126 195
7 104 126 216 446 87 134 198 419 77 92 226 395 38 57 175 270
8 108 141 218 467 89 124 205 418 80 113 217 410 41 52 140 233
9 110 154 243 507 101 128 202 431 88 141 194 423 45 63 201 309
10 98 160 193 451 111 138 200 449 98 129 194 421 49 83 195 327
11 100 160 188 448 95 146 232 473 100 136 204 440 48 98 170 316
12 126 154 165 445 88 147 171 406 105 140 197 442 57 81 175 313
13 86 156 145 387 98 155 178 431 100 137 223 460 56 92 170 318
14&Ch 54 83 89 226 56 63 73 192 37 64 81 182 39 53 111 203
14&YA 23 57 40 120 51 80 79 210 58 80 90 228 44 63 114 221
15 63 115 95 273 81 136 141 358 102 163 176 441 64 102 212 378
16 47 92 55 194 69 142 129 340 107 150 148 405 79 106 168 353
17 28 74 44 145 54 108 70 232 81 134 127 342 70 106 173 349
18 26 64 38 128 41 91 66 198 73 141 111 325 68 112 139 319
19 12 42 17 71 31 60 41 132 50 93 64 207 56 82 137 275
20 6 16 5 27 15 62 34 108 37 87 54 180 62 127 121 310
21 2 12 3 17 12 32 11 55 5 5 5 15 63 103 76 242
22 - 2 - 2 2 15 6 23 - - - - 43 89 61 193
23-25 - 1 1 2 1 12 2 15 - - - - 67 179 88 334
26+ - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 31 12 51
Total 1546 2348 3193 7086 1517 2328 3256 7101 1548 2228 3288 7066 1193 1913 3310 6416
Note: Child age in these tables is measured as of the mother's interview date and may differ from the age at which the child was assessed.
Note: Starting in 1994, a respondent must have attained the age of 15 by the end of the survey year to be included in the Young Adult survey. In 1998 only, an additional age restriction was imposed: respondents had to be under 21 by the date of interview. A decision was made to retain data from the 15 Young Adults who were inadvertently interviewed even though they had already turned 21. In 2000 only, approximately 40 percent of black and Hispanic oversample cases between age 15 and 20 were not fielded, thus explaining the particularly sharp decline in the overall sample size of that survey year.

NLSY79 Children and Young Adults Interviewed by Age and Race/Ethnicity, 1994-2008

H=Hispanic, B=Black (non-Hispanic), NBNH=Nonblack/non-Hispanic

Child Age at Int. 2002 2004 2006 2008
H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total
< 1 11 10 23 44 6 2 13 21 3 3 5 11 - 2 3 5
1 19 16 33 68 10 10 22 42 7 6 9 22 1 2 7 10
2 33 21 59 113 15 12 21 48 9 - 11 20 3 4 5 12
3 19 26 62 107 16 17 38 71 9 13 26 48 8 5 9 22
4 33 34 107 174 30 22 59 111 13 11 28 52 8 3 13 24
5 33 35 106 174 23 27 64 114 19 24 38 81 9 14 22 45
6 38 44 94 176 31 34 94 159 30 21 59 110 15 10 33 58
7 37 45 129 211 28 41 109 178 27 28 72 127 19 27 34 80
8 41 71 144 256 43 43 94 180 36 41 102 179 27 20 63 110
9 69 66 163 298 40 51 127 218 23 41 105 169 26 30 68 124
10 56 83 156 295 49 75 142 266 52 51 109 212 35 37 107 179
11 71 79 199 349 58 69 171 298 40 47 130 217 22 42 104 168
12 75 102 197 374 68 80 149 297 54 84 154 292 49 56 112 217
13 81 128 172 381 65 83 198 346 70 72 178 320 45 53 118 216
14&Ch 46 62 101 209 33 49 82 164 23 33 56 112 19 14 50 83
15&Ch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1
14&YA 64 76 136 276 59 75 143 277 36 59 107 202 22 59 90 171
15&YA 94 124 181 399 82 132 180 394 70 82 206 358 68 73 171 312
16 106 137 212 455 93 125 206 424 89 131 204 424 61 87 163 311
17 91 123 197 411 103 133 173 409 85 132 180 397 71 88 192 351
18 93 157 165 415 102 136 188 426 95 125 209 429 102 144 235 481
19 91 151 164 406 100 134 206 440 107 134 179 420 75 118 176 369
20 106 146 158 410 89 138 162 389 97 139 175 411 92 121 186 399
21 82 142 128 352 95 165 158 418 94 132 215 441 99 137 179 415
22 74 150 123 347 107 147 162 416 92 153 158 403 99 132 193 424
23 47 102 74 223 71 128 126 325 106 149 169 424 88 133 187 408
24 47 87 60 194 79 152 120 351 111 149 147 407 94 152 168 414
25 29 65 35 129 52 102 70 224 87 143 138 368 99 148 164 411
26 21 67 33 121 41 81 61 183 82 148 134 364 99 147 141 387
27 10 32 12 54 27 56 40 123 51 102 70 223 79 128 144 351
28 6 22 5 33 18 67 30 115 51 99 67 217 70 143 107 320
29 1 6 2 9 12 39 11 62 27 68 34 129 56 116 73 245
30 1 2 - 3 3 14 7 24 22 60 30 112 41 84 67 192
31+ - 1 - 1 1 11 4 16 20 70 25 115 66 192 87 345
Total 1625 2412 3430 7467 1650 2455 3432 7537 1737 2550 3529 7816 1667 2521 3472 7660
Note: Child age in these tables is measured as of the mother's interview date and may differ from the age at which the child was assessed.
Note: Starting in 1994, a respondent must have attained the age of 15 by the end of the survey year to be included in the Young Adult survey.

NLSY79 Children and Young Adults Interviewed by Age and Race/Ethnicity, 2010-2014

H=Hispanic, B=Black (non-Hispanic), NBNH=Nonblack/non-Hispanic

Child Age at Int.     2010     2012     2014
H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total H B NBNH Total
< 1 2 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2  0 0 0 0
2 0 2 4 6 0 0 3 3  0  0 0 0
3 1 3 6 10 0 0 0 0  0  2  0 2
4 3 3 7 13 2 1 3 6  0 0 2 2
5 9 7 8 24 0 2 4 6  0 0 1 1
6 8 2 12 22 2 2 4 8  0 0 2 2
7 7 14 25 46 5 5 7 17  0 2 3 5
8 17 11 25 53 7 5 7 19  2 2 5 9
9 19 25 40 84 9 6 20 35  3 3 7  13
10 25 22 59 106 9 12 15 36  9 7 7 23
11 23 32 69 124 18 15 34 67  9 3 16 28
12 29 41 98 168 20 28 38 86  7  12 20 39
13 34 43 119 196 23 24 59 106  20 10  28  58
14&Ch 12 9 19 40 20 23 69 112  17  28  35  80
15&Ch - - - - 3 6 3 12  3  4  7 14
14&YA 27 40 66 133 3 4 15 22  0  1 0  1
15&YA 43 57 131 231 26 34 91 151  21  16  40  77
16 52 80 137 269 32 44 100 176 19  26  67  112
17 62 78 171 311 41 59 101 201 22 40 89  151
18 77 87 175 339 43 56 113 212  29 37  96  162
19 65 103 187 355 52 79 156 287  40  55 92 187
20 92 123 215 430 68 80 174 322  44  58 134  236
21 73 127 158 358 71 89 194 354  49  86 160  295
22 97 122 195 414 68 101 178 347  62  75  151  288
23 93 136 189 418 79 127 190 396  64  84  173  321
24 91 128 196 415 81 115 183 379  69  93  182  344
25 95 146 201 442 85 115 163 363  79  124  190 393
26 98 143 158 399 91 126 172 389  77 120  170 367
27 101 153 170 424 99 134 200 433  91  110 183 384
28 97 153 145 395 95 140 162 397  89  124 162 375
29 80 125 144 349 83 144 164 391 89 130 193  412
30 22 43 34 99 86 127 121 334  86 125  173 384
31+ 67 159 95 321 146 315 193 654 270 545 431 1246
Total 1521 2217 3259 6997 1367 2020 2936 6323 1270 1922 2818 6011
Note: Child age in these tables is measured as of the mother's interview date and may differ from the age at which the child was assessed.
Note: Starting in 1994, a respondent must have attained the age of 15 by the end of the survey year to be included in the Young Adult survey. Beginning in 2010, respondents over age 30 are interviewed every four years. The interviewed sample is selected by age as of December 31 of the survey year, so that approximately half of the older young adults are eligible each round. Since 2010, young adults age 31-32, 35-36, 39- 40, 43-44, etc. as of 12/31 of the survey year are not fielded.

Table 3 shows the decline, starting in 2002, in the number of children (from birth to age 14) who were assessed with the HOME Inventory. This decline in sample sizes is a function of the aging up of the Child cohort into the Young Adult sample in addition to reduced childbearing among older NLSY79 mothers. The "Sample Changes over Time" section in Sample Design has more information about the size of the child sample in each survey round.

Table 3. NLSY79 Children with Completed HOME Inventories: 2002-2014 Survey Years
Survey Year
Number of Children (with completed HOME Inventories)
2002
3,077
2004
2,398
2006
1,786
2008
1,200
2010
792
2012
453
2014
241

Some assessments are completed only once by a child at the first time he or she becomes age-eligible. Others are completed at each survey point by all age-eligible children. With the exception of the Self-Perception Profile (SPPC), at each survey, ten- and eleven-year olds complete all assessments for which they are age-eligible, regardless of whether or not they had previously completed the assessment(s). This "index" group of children will ultimately represent a large, more fully representative sample for analysis. Table 4 contains details on the ages at which children were administered particular assessments. This table also summarizes changes in administration patterns.

Table 4. NLSY79 Child: Children Eligible for Assessment by Survey Year
Assessment Eligible ages1
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008-2014 2016
Parts of the Body 1-2 1-2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Memory for Locations2 8 mos-3 yrs (8 mos-3 yrs) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
McCarthy Verbal Memory Subscale2 3-6 (3-6) (4-6) (3-6) (3-6) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
What I Am Like (Self-Perception Profile) 8 and older 8 and older 8 and older 8 and older 8-14 12-14 12-14 12-14 12-14 12-14 12-14 12-14 12-133
WISC-R Digit Span Subscale2 7 and older 10-11
(7 and older)
10-11
(7 and older)
10-11
(7 and older)
10-11
(7-14)
7-11 7-11 7-11 7-11 7-11 7-11 7-11 --
PIAT Math and Reading 5 and older 5 and older 5 and older 5 and older 5-14 5-14 5-14 5-14 5-14 5-14 5-14 5-14 --
PPVT-R2 3 and older 10-11
(3 and older)
10-11
(3 and older)
3 and older 10-11
(3-14)
10-11
(4-14)
4-5,
10-11
4-5,
10-11
4-5, 
10-11
4-5, (6-9), 
10-11
4-5, (6-9),
10-11
4-5, (6-9), 
10-11
--
HOME environment All ages All ages All ages All ages 0-14 0-14 0-14 0-14 0-14 0-14 4-14 4-14 --4
Temperament 0-6 0-6 0-6 0-6 0-6 0-6 0-6 0-6 2-6* 2-6* 2-6* 2-6 2-6
Motor & Social Development 0-3 0-3 0-3 0-3 0-3 0-3 0-3 0-3 2-3* -- 0-3* 0-3 0-3
Behavior Problems Index 4 and older 4 and older 4 and older 4 and older 4-14 4-14 4-14 4-14 4-14 4-14 4-14 4-14 4-13
 
1  Age in years unless otherwise noted.
2  Parentheses indicate age eligibility for children with no previous valid score. For example, in 1996, all 10- and 11-year-olds were eligible for the PPVT-R; a 6-year-old with no previous score was also eligible, but a 6-year-old with a previous valid score from 1994 or an earlier survey was not eligible.
3  In 2016, the SPPC was administered as part of the Young Adult survey.
4  In 2016, individual HOME-SF items were administered to mothers of children ages 0-13, but no composite scores were calculated, because the interviewer observations items from the Child Supplement are no longer available.
*  Children born before the R19 (2000) interview or 1/1/2000.
NOTE: Beginning in 1994, assessments were no longer given to children who reach age 15 by the end of that calendar year. Starting in 2008, when the field period extended into the calendar year following the survey year, some children turned 15 during the Child interview period. In 2016, mothers completed the Mother Supplement for children in the home at least part-time who were 13 or younger by the end of 2016.

How to Identify Interviewed Children. Users can rely on the child sample weights (CSAMWTyyyy/CSAMWTyyyy_REV) to determine which children have assessment information in any given survey year. A child with a child sample weight greater than zero means that the child was assessed in that year. However, these assessed children will not necessarily have a valid score on any particular assessment in that year. A series of flags was introduced in 1998 to indicate the child's interview and assessment status. In 2000, the interview status series was simplified to identify children interviewed, whether the child's mother was interviewed, and an indication as to whether each type of child field instrument was administered. Starting with the 2002 survey round, the series of child interview status variables was expanded to include the constructed variables listed in Table 5.

Table 5. Child Interview Status Variables, 2002-2016
CINTRV2002 - CINTRV2016 INTERVIEW STATUS OF CHILD
MINTRV2002 - MINTRV2016 INTERVIEW STATUS OF MOTHER
INCSUP2002 - INCSUP2014 DOES CHILD HAVE A CHILD SUPPLEMENT RECORD
CSCOMP2002 - CSCOMP2014 COMPLETION STATUS OF CHILD SUPPLEMENT
INMSUP2002 - INMSUP2014* DOES CHILD HAVE A MOTHER SUPPLEMENT RECORD
MSCOMP2002 - MSCOMP2016 COMPLETION STATUS OF MOTHER SUPPLEMENT
INCSAS2002 - INCSAS2004 ** DOES CHILD HAVE A CHILD SELF-ADMINISTERED SUPPLEMENT RECORD
CSASCOMP2002 - CSASCOMP2014 COMPLETION STATUS OF CHILD SELF-ADMINISTERED SUPPLEMENT
CSMSORDER2002 - CSMSORDER2014 SEQUENCE OF CHILD SUPPLEMENT AND MOTHER SUPPLEMENT INTERVIEWS
* Only the Mother Supplement was administered in 2016; therefore, CINTRV2016 can be used as a substitute for INMSUP2016.
** The "INCSAS" variable is created only through 2004, since starting in 2006, the CSAS is fully integrated as a section in the Child Supplement and is no longer a separate instrument.

Assessment Completion Rates

Table 6 provides estimates of the number of children who were administered each assessment in the current survey round and the completion rate for each assessment. (Similar completion rate tables showing the distribution of NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores in earlier survey rounds are below.) The number of children who complete each assessment continues to be substantial, so that reasonably high numbers of black, white, and Hispanic children are available for separate analyses by race/ethnicity. Sufficient sample sizes are particularly important for those assessments where there are major differences in outcome by race/ethnicity, or more importantly, where the linkages between critical explanatory inputs and assessment outcomes vary by race/ethnicity.

Table 6 shows that the percent of children receiving valid scores is quite high. Since the mother-reported assessments (Behavior Problems Index (BPI), Motor and Social Development scale (MSD) and the Temperament Scale) were integrated into the mother's main interview starting in 2006, mothers completed these assessments for nearly all age-eligible children. However, because no imputation of scores is performed either for the MSD or Temperament scores, any "Don't Know" or "Refused" responses for individual items will result in a missing value for the corresponding overall scale score.

Table 6. NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children interviewed in 2016
Assessment (Child social and emotional development) Child age All children Hispanic Black Non-Black/ Non-Hispanic
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Temperament Scale Note 6.1

2 to 6 years 4 80.0 0 0 2 100.0 2 66.7

Motor and Social Development Scale

Under 4 years 1 100.0 0 0 0 0 1 100.0

Behavior Problems Index

4 to 13 years 81 96.4 22 100.0 18 94.7 41 95.3

Self-Perception Global Note 6.2

12 to 13 years 48 98.0 17 94.4 8 100.0 23 100.0

Self-Perception Scholastic Note 6.2

12 to 13 years 48 98.0 17 94.4 8 100.0 23 100.0

Note 6.1: The Temperament Scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6.

Note 6.2: In 2016, the Self-Perception Profile was administered as part of the Young Adult survey.

Note 6.3: Of the 7479 children born to mothers interviewed in 2016, 85 were age-eligible and interviewed or assessed in 2016. The percent valid column indicates children with a valid score of those age-eligible for a particular assessment.

Click below to view details:

NLSY79 Child Assessment Completion Rates by Race/Ethnicity: Children Assessed in 1986

      Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Nonblack/ non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
The HOME 3 years 1704 95.7 307 96.5 472 95.2 925 95.8
  3-5 years 1594 96.2 329 94.3 490 96.5 775 96.9
  6 years & older 1488 97.0 263 97.4 578 96.3 647 97.4
Temperament < 1 year 574 100.0 96 100.0 157 100.0 321 100.0
  1 year 622 100.0 111 100.0 166 100.0 345 100.0
  2-6 years 2680 99.8 542 99.8 841 99.9 1297 99.7
Motor & Social Development 0-3 months 150 92.6 26 92.9 38 92.7 86 92.5
  4-6 months 143 96.6 27 100.0 40 95.2 76 96.2
  7-9 months 160 94.7 27 93.1 50 94.3 83 95.4
  10-12 months 142 94.7 20 87.0 33 91.7 89 97.8
  13-15 months 144 93.5 25 96.2 37 88.1 82 95.3
  16-18 months 150 93.2 26 92.9 38 90.5 86 94.5
  19-21 months 147 89.1 27 87.1 41 91.1 79 88.8
  22-47 months 1194 94.4 223 90.3 353 93.1 618 96.7
Behavior Problems 4 years & older 2476 95.3 468 94.0 886 95.9 1122 95.5
Body Parts 12-35 months 1004 83.3 178 80.2 283 83.5 543 84.2
Memory for Location 8-47 months 1642 81.7 287 76.1 464 79.7 891 84.8
Verbal Memory Part A&B 3-6 years 1986 94.5 381 88.2 647 96.7 958 95.7
Verbal Memory Part C 3-6 years 1940 92.3 368 85.2 635 94.9 937 93.6
SPPC-Global 8 years & older 732 95.9 116 97.5 313 95.7 303 95.6
SPPC-Scholastic 8 years & older 732 95.9 116 97.5 313 95.7 303 95.6
Digit Span 7 years & older 984 90.4 166 88.8 394 89.7 424 91.6
PIAT Math PPVT age 5 yrs + 1885 92.6 323 88.5 718 93.9 844 93.3
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT age 5 yrs + 1876 92.2 319 87.4 719 94.0 838 92.6
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT age 5 yrs + 1725 84.8 289 79.2 656 85.8 780 86.2
PPVT-R PPVT age 3 yrs + 2798 86.9 506 81.1 961 86.0 1331 90.0
NOTE: The 4971 children in this universe, of the 5255 born to mothers interviewed in 1986, are those known to be available (primarily in their mother's home) at the time of assessment.

 

NLSY79 Child Assessment Completion Rates by Race/Ethnicity: Children Reported by Mothers Interviewed in 1988 (unweighted estimates)

      Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Non black/non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
The HOME < 3 years 1571 94.0 287 92.6 398 95.7 886 93.8
  3-5 years 1698 94.9 306 93.3 473 95.7 920 94.9
  6-9 years 1837 95.7 346 92.8 610 96.7 881 96.2
  10 years & older 835 94.5 138 93.9 334 94.4 363 94.8
Temperament < 1 year 675 96.4 129 95.6 152 98.7 394 95.9
  1 year 729 95.7 154 94.5 151 92.6 424 97.2
  2-6 years 2743 98.0 519 99.8 811 99.3 1413 96.6
Motor & Social Development 0-3 months 184 93.4 33 89.2 35 92.1 116 95.1
  4-6 months 109 89.3 12 75.0 28 90.3 69 92.0
  7-9 months 117 86.0 16 72.7 38 86.4 63 88.7
  10-12 months 129 88.4 27 90.0 31 81.6 71 91.0
  13-15 months 119 85.6 18 85.7 22 81.4 79 86.8
  16-18 months 109 76.2 27 81.8 23 74.2 59 83.1
  19-21 months 108 84.4 19 86.4 23 82.1 66 84.6
  22-47 months 1191 91.8 218 89.3 310 89.9 663 93.6
Behavior Problems 4 years & older 3641 92.0 667 91.0 1182 90.0 1792 93.8
Body Parts 12-35 months 988 88.8 185 86.9 252 90.0 551 89.0
Memory for Location 8-47 months 1258 82.2 241 80.3 307 78.3 710 84.6
Verbal Memory Part A&B 3-6 years 1433 90.6 265 87.5 397 93.2 771 90.4
Verbal Memory Part C 3-6 years 1386 87.6 253 83.5 382 89.7 751 88.0
SPPC-Global 8 years & older 1825 94.6 289 91.7 684 94.9 852 95.4
SPPC-Scholastic 8 years & older 1826 94.7 290 92.1 684 94.9 852 95.4
Digit Span 7 years & older 1562 89.9 275 86.5 549 92.0 738 89.8
PIAT Math PPVT age (5 years +) 3689 93.7 624 90.1 1302 95.7 1753 92.9
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT age (5 years +) 3663 93.1 635 92.4 1294 95.1 1734 91.9
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT age (5 years +) 3542 90.0 605 88.1 1243 91.3 1694 89.8
PPVT-R PPVT age (3 years +) 2384 85.9 443 86.2 703 83.8 1238 87.0
NOTE: The 6266 children in this universe, of the 7346 born to mothers interviewed in 1988, are those known to be available (primarily in their mother's home) at the time of assessment.

 

NLSY79 Child Assessment Completion Rates by Race/Ethnicity, 1990: Unweighted Sample

      Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Nonblack/non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
The HOME < 3 years 1181 88.9 241 86.7 351 92.6 588 87.8
  3-5 years 1295 91.8 293 91.3 370 89.6 632 93.5
  6-9 years 1670 94.4 404 94.8 576 94.0 689 94.5
  10 years & older 1213 93.6 254 91.0 554 94.2 404 94.4
Temperament < 1 year 393 96.1 77 96.3 109 97.3 205 95.3
  1 year 446 97.6 91 96.8 137 98.6 218 97.3
  2-6 years 2237 96.2 498 94.9 666 96.8 1071 96.5
Motor & Social Development Under 4 years 1601 90.8 349 91.1 442 88.9 810 91.8
Behavior Problems 4 years & older 3832 94.9 865 93.9 1403 93.8 1563 96.4
Verbal Memory Part A&B 4-6 years 552 88.2 127 81.4 173 91.5 252 89.7
Verbal Memory Part C 4-6 years 519 82.9 116 74.4 165 87.3 238 84.7
SPPC-Global 8 years & older 2007 93.2 453 90.6 858 96.5 696 91.0
SPPC-Scholastic 8 years & older 2007 93.2 453 90.6 858 96.5 696 91.0
Digit Span 7 years & older 1477 89.2 356 87.5 569 93.0 551 86.6
PIAT Math PPVT age (5 years +) 3321 92.1 730 88.8 1304 95.3 1281 90.7
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT age (5 years +) 3270 90.7 715 87.0 1285 93.9 1267 89.5
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT age (5 years +) 3209 89.0 564 82.5 1092 90.8 1012 85.7
PPVT-R PPVT age (4 years +) 1155 85.5 270 81.6 433 89.5 452 84.3
NOTE: The 5803 children in this universe, of the 6401 born to mothers (excluding those who are "poor white") interviewed in 1990, are those known to be available (primarily in their mother's home) at the time of assessment.

 

NLSY Child Assessment Completion Rates by Age and Race/Ethnicity, 1992: Sample Cases

      Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Nonblack/non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
The HOME < 3 years 1065 88.3 214 89.2 271 90.0 580 87.2
  3-5 years 1254 92.1 292 91.8 354 91.2 608 92.8
  6-9 years 1794 96.2 404 95.5 571 95.8 819 96.9
  10 years & older 1993 95.9 483 96.2 821 96.8 689 94.6
Temperament < 1 year 331 97.9 75 98.7 80 96.4 176 98.3
  1 year 410 96.9 78 96.3 90 95.7 242 97.6
  2-6 years 1743 96.5 394 98.3 493 96.3 856 95.9
Motor & Social Development Under 4 years 1492 90.9 299 90.3 380 88.0 813 92.5
Behavior Problems 4 years & older 4689 96.3 1114 96.7 1613 94.8 1962 97.4
Verbal Memory Part A & B 3-6 years 1153 81.5 263 77.8 344 94.9 546 91.3
SPPC-Global 8 years & older 2688 90.6 641 91.2 1047 90.8 1000 90.1
SPPC-Scholastic 8 years & older 2689 90.7 641 91.2 1048 90.9 1000 90.1
Digit Span 7 years & older 1634 87.4 402 87.6 541 88.3 691 86.6
PIAT Math PPVT age (5 years +) 3996 90.8 935 89.6 1430 91.4 1631 90.9
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT age (5 years +) 3936 89.4 918 88.1 1410 90.1 1608 89.6
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT age (5 years +) 3772 85.7 884 84.8 1373 87.8 1515 84.4
PPVT-R PPVT age (3 years +) 4758 89.7 1103 88.8 1651 90.1 2004 89.9
NOTE: The 6509 children in this universe, of the 7255 born to mothers interviewed in 1992, are those known to be available (primarily in their mother's home) at the time of assessment. Temperament estimates are based on valid scores for the following scales: the Activity response rate for children under age one, the Fearful response rate for children age one, and the Compliance estimates for children age 2 to 6.

 

NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children ages 0-14 assessed in 1994

      Race/Ethnicity
    All Children  Hispanic Black White
Assessment Child Age N % N % N % N %
Child Home Environment
The HOME Inventory < 3 Years 853 87.3 172 87.3 225 90.7 456 85.7
  3-5 Years 1213 93.4 245 93.9 339 94.2 629 92.8
  6-9 Years 1784 95.4 398 96.1 533 96.2 853 94.6
  10 Years & Older 1865 95.0 447 95.7 683 95.8 735 93.9
Child Motor/Social/Emotional Development
Temperament Scale < 1 Year 255 94.1 46 88.5 65 95.6 144 95.4
  1 Year 334 94.5 63 90.0 86 94.5 185 95.9
  2-6 Years 1552 94.1 318 94.6 426 94.9 808 93.4
Motor & Social Development Scale Under 4 Years 1247 89.3 232 84.1 310 88.8 705 91.4
Behavior Problems Index 4 Years & Older 4443 94.3 999 94.0 1424 93.3 2020 95.1
Self-Perception Global 8 Years & Older 2693 91.6 625 91.2 932 92.3 1136 91.3
Self-Perception Scholastic 8 Years & Older 2694 91.7 625 91.2 932 92.3 1137 91.4
Child Cognitive Development
WISC-R Digit Span 7 Years & Older 3112 94.8 724 95.5 1048 94.8 1340 94.4
PIAT Math PPVT Age 5+ 3946 91.6 894 90.9 1311 92.6 1741 91.3
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT Age 5+ 3934 91.3 889 90.3 1306 92.2 1739 91.2
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT Age 5+ 3858 89.7 873 88.7 1284 90.8 1701 89.3
PPVT-R PPVT Age 3+ 1826 85.2 378 85.1 569 87.1 879 84.1
Verbal Memory (A&B) 3-6 Years 900 81.8 169 77.2 246 85.4 485 81.8
NOTE: The 6,109 children in this universe of the 7,861 born to NLSY79 mothers interviewed in 1994, were age 0-14 years at the date of interview, living in the household of an eligible mother or were otherwise known to be available and were assessed in 1994. Children who attained age 15 by the end of 1994 were not eligible to be assessed.

 

NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children ages 0-14 assessed in 1996

      Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Non-black/non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
Child home environment
The HOME Inventory All ages 4,973 91.6 1,042 89.6 1,449 91.6 2,482 92.7
  < 3 years 654 88.0 123 86.0 163 90.6 368 87.6
  3–5 years 1,007 95.8 195 94.2 244 95.7 568 96.4
  6–9 years 1,519 90.1 319 87.2 454 89.7 746 91.8
  10 years and older 1,793 91.9 405 90.6 588 90.5 800 93.6
Child motor/social/emotional development
Temperament Scale < 1 year 195 94.2 45 91.8 44 95.7 106 94.6
  1 year 222 94.1 39 92.9 49 89.1 134 96.4
  2–6 years 1,670 94.6 314 91.0 425 93.6 931 96.3
Motor and Social Development Scale Under 4 years 960 89.8 175 85.0 228 87.7 557 92.4
Behavior Problems Index 4 years and older 4,047 92.8 882 92.2 1,194 89.7 1,971 95.0
Self-Perception Global 12 years and older 933 90.1 220 89.8 325 88.8 388 91.5
Self-Perception Scholastic 12 years and older 935 90.3 221 90.2 324 88.5 390 92.0
Child cognitive development
WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7–11 years 1,999 91.5 426 88.6 622 92.8 951 92.0
PIAT Math PPVT age 5+ 3,680 90.9 783 88.0 1,157 92.3 1,740 91.3
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT age 5+ 3,670 90.7 780 87.6 1,154 92.1 1,736 91.1
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT age 5+ 3,625 89.6 768 86.3 1,145 91.4 1,712 89.9
PPVT-R PPVT age 3+ 2,453 89.0 545 86.2 765 91.5 1,143 88.7
NOTE: Of the 6,010 children born to NLSY79 mothers interviewed in the 1996 survey round, 5,431 children were living in the household of an eligible mother or were otherwise known to be available, and were assessed in 1996. Children who reached age 15 by the end of 1996 were not eligible for assessment and were interviewed as Young Adults.

 

NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children ages 0-14 assessed in 1998

      Race/ethnicity
    All children  Hispanic Black Non-black/non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
Child Home Environment
The HOME Inventory All ages 4,550 92.4 920 88.9 1,264 91.9 2,366 94.2
  < 3 years 446 78.1 84 70.0 95 77.2 267 81.4
  3–5 years 809 94.4 144 91.1 197 92.9 468 96.1
  6–9 years 1,465 94.6 292 92.1 404 92.9 769 96.5
  10 years and older 1,830 94.0 400 90.9 568 93.7 862 95.7
Child Motor/Social/Emotional Development
Temperament Scale < 1 year 160 90.4 31 86.1 34 91.9 95 91.3
  1 year 172 89.1 28 82.4 37 82.2 107 93.9
  2–6 years 1,298 94.1 255 90.4 310 91.4 733 96.6
Motor & Social Development Under 4 years 716 86.9 130 81.8 151 83.4 435 89.9
Behavior Problems Index 4 years and older 3,795 92.5 770 87.9 1,088 91.0 1,936 95.4
Self-Perception Global 12 years and older 955 87.5 216 88.9 298 86.4 441 87.5
Self-Perception Scholastic 12 years and older 955 87.5 216 88.9 298 86.4 441 87.5
Child Cognitive Development
WISC-R Digit Span 7–11 years 1,872 89.8 389 88.2 555 90.7 928 89.9
PIAT Math PPVT age 5+ 3,388 88.5 722 87.8 993 88.6 1,673 88.8
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT age 5+ 3,387 88.5 724 88.1 995 88.8 1,668 88.5
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT age 5+ 3,356 87.7 716 87.1 987 88.0 1,653 87.7
PPVT-R PPVT age 4-5 493 82.9 96 81.4 126 82.4 271 83.6
  PPVT age 10-11 748 87.6 168 85.7 232 88.5 348 87.9
NOTE: Of 8,432 children born to NLSY79 mothers interviewed in the 1998 survey round, 4924 children were living in the household of an eligible mother or were otherwise known to be available, and were assessed in 1998. Children who reached age 15 by the end of 1998 were not eligible for assessment and were interviewed as Young Adults.

 

NLSY79 Children with Valid Assessment Scores: Children Ages 0-14 Assessed in 2000

        Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black White
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
Child home environment
The HOME Inventory   All ages birth-14 3,150 92.9 504 88.6 762 93.6 1,884 93.8
  < 3 years 304 79.8 64 72.7 63 80.8 177 82.3
  3–5 years 493 93.9 73 88.0 105 92.9 315 95.7
  6–9 years 952 95.2 139 93.3 203 95.3 610 95.6
  10 to 14 years 1,401 94.3 228 91.6 391 95.4 782 94.6
Child motor/social/emotional development
Temperament Scale < 1 year 102 97.1 29 100 24 100 49 94.2
  1 year 117 100 27 100 28 100 62 100
  2–6 years 808 91.7 122 86.5 164 90.1 522 93.5
Motor & Social Development Scale Under 4 years 518 95.7 106 93.8 110 96.5 302 96.2
Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 2,608 91.5 392 86.0 631 90.1 1,585 93.5
Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 758 90.6 142 93.4 203 89.0 413 90.4
Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 758 90.6 142 93.4 203 89.0 413 90.4
Child cognitive development
WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7–11 years 1,341 92.4 210 95.5 333 94.9 798 90.7
PIAT Math PPVT ages 5-14 2,462 91.6 398 93.4 615 92.5 1,449 90.8
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5-14 2,464 91.7 396 93.0 619 93.1 1,449 90.8
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5-14 2,451 91.2 394 92.5 617 92.8 1,440 90.2
PPVT-R PPVT ages 4-5, 326 89.6 49 81.7 70 92.1 207 90.8
  PPVT ages 10-11 599 92.3 93 94.9 171 93.4 335 91.0
NOTE: Of the 8,323 children born to mothers interviewed in 2000, 3,392 children ages 0-14 were living in the household of an interviewed mother or were otherwise known to be available, and were assessed in 2000. Children who had reached age 15 by the end of 2000 were not eligible for assessment. A portion of the Black and Hispanic child over-samples was dropped in 2000 and was therefore ineligible for assessment this round.

 

NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children ages 0-14 assessed in 2002

        Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Non-black/ Non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
Child home environment
The HOME Inventory All ages birth-14 3,078 95.3 627 94.7 784 95.4 1,667 95.5
  < 3 years 148 67.0 42 68.9 32 69.6 74 64.9
  3–5 years 441 96.3 83 95.4 89 92.7 269 97.8
  6–9 years 924 98.5 181 98.9 222 98.7 521 98.3
  10 to 14 years 1,565 97.1 321 97.0 441 96.9 803 97.2
Child motor/social/emotional development
Temperament Scale* 2–6 years 718 97.7 151 97.4 152 97.4 415 97.9
Motor and Social Development Scale Under 4 years 211 95.9 51 96.2 46 97.9 114 95.0
Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 2,872 99.1 571 98.4 738 98.5 1,563 99.7
Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 872 91.0 184 92.0 271 94.1 417 88.7
Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 872 91.0 184 92.0 271 94.1 417 88.7
Child cognitive development
WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7–11 years 1,307 93.6 250 91.6 333 97.4 724 92.7
PIAT Math PPVT ages 5-14 2,487 91.9 491 90.3 669 94.5 1,327 91.3
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5-14 2,491 92.1 492 90.4 672 94.9 1,327 91.3
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5-14 2,469 91.3 485 89.2 670 94.6 1,314 90.4
PPVT-R PPVT ages 4-5 and 294 88.8 51 82.3 59 88.1 184 91.1
  PPVT ages 10-11 585 93.3 114 90.5 151 96.8 320 92.8
* The Temperament scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6. Scores for other temperament subscales are computed and available in the data file for subgroups of more restricted age ranges.
NOTE: Of the 8,100 children born to mothers interviewed in 2002, 3,229 children ages 0-14 were living in the household of an eligible mother or were otherwise known to be available, and were interviewed and assessed in 2002. The % valid column indicates children with a valid score of those eligible for a particular assessment. Mother Supplement completion rates increased in 2002 due to CAPI administration of the mother-report assessments. Children who reached age 15 by the end of 2002 were not eligible for assessment. The Black and Hispanic child oversamples dropped in 2000 were reintroduced into the sample in 2002.

 

NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children interviewed in 2004

        Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Non-black/ Non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
Child home environment
The HOME Inventory All ages (birth to 14) 2,399 95.4 483 93.8 603 98.0 1,313 94.9
  Under 3 years* 57 56.4 16 57.1 18 85.7 23 44.2
  3 to 5 years 287 97.6 66 95.7 67 100.0 154 97.5
  6 to 9 years 706 97.1 136 95.1 167 98.2 403 97.3
  10 to 14 years 1,349 96.9 265 96.4 351 98.3 733 96.4
Child social and emotional development
Temperament Scale** 2 to 6 years 370 97.4 81 98.8 80 97.6 209 96.8
Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 2,290 97.8 452 96.2 562 97.4 1,276 98.6
Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 758 90.3 158 91.9 202 94.0 398 88.1
Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 758 90.3 158 91.9 202 94.0 398 88.1
Child cognitive development
WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7 to 11 years 1,305 92.2 189 87.1 260 92.9 586 93.8
PIAT Math PPVT ages 5 to 14 2,024 90.4 385 87.1 514 92.8 1,125 90.6
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5 to 14 2,040 91.2 392 88.7 516 93.1 1,132 91.1
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5 to 14 2,037 91.0 391 88.5 516 93.1 1,130 91.0
PPVT-R 4 to 5 years 199 90.9 45 88.2 46 90.2 108 92.3
  6 to 9 years*** 122 100.0 39 100.0 38   45 100.0
  10 to 11 years 510 91.7 92 86.8 128 91.4 290 93.5
a. Of the 8267 children born by mothers interviewed in 2004, 2514 children ages 0-14 years were living in the household of an eligible mother and were interviewed or assessed in 2004. The "%" valid column indicates children with a valid score of those age-eligible for a particular assessment. Children who reached age 15 by the end of 2004 were not eligible for assessment.
b. Motor and Social Development was not administered in 2004.
* Many children under age 5 were not age-eligible for administration of the Child Supplement, which is where the HOME interviewer observations are located. These missing items, which are part of the total HOME score, account for the low number of valid scores for this age group in 2004.
** The Temperament scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6. Other temperament subscales are computed for subgroups of more restricted age ranges.
*** In this survey round, children ages 6-9 who had no prior valid score were eligible to be administered the PPVT.

 

NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children interviewed in 2006

        Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Non-black/ Non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
Child home environment
The HOME Inventory All ages (birth to 14) 1786 90.6 371 89.4 430 90.5 985 91.0
  Under 3 years 53 100.0 19 100.0 9 100.0 25 100.0
  3 to 5 years 154 85.1 35 85.4 40 83.3 79 85.9
  6 to 9 years 539 92.1 106 91.4 116 88.5 317 93.8
  10 to 14 years 1040 90.2 211 88.3 265 92.3 564 90.0
Child social and emotional development
Temperament Scale* 2 to 6 years 298 97.7 74 94.9 65 98.5 159 98.8
Motor and Social Development Scale Under 4 years 85 85.1 23 82.1 17 77.3 46 90.2
Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 1779 95.1 361 93.3 425 93.8 993 96.3
Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 655 86.9 125 82.2 176 91.7 354 86.3
Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 655 86.9 125 82.2 176 91.7 354 86.3
Child cognitive development
WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7 to 11 years 776 87.6 152 87.4 184 88.9 440 87.1
PIAT Math PPVT ages 5 to 14 1612 88.0 325 86.2 401 90.5 886 87.5
PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5 to 14 1615 88.2 325 86.2 402 90.7 888 87.7
PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5 to 14 1610 87.9 324 85.9 402 90.7 884 87.4
PPVT-R 4 to 5 years 104 85.2 26 86.7 25 78.1 53 88.3
  6 to 9 years** 22 100.0 7 100.0 6 100.0 9 100.0
  10 to 11 years 366 87.8 78 85.7 93 94.9 195 85.5
  12 to 14 years** 25 100.0 5 100.0 11 100.0 9 100.0
*The Temperament Scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6. Other temperament subscales are computed for subgroups of more restricted age ranges.
**In this survey round, children age 6-9 and 12-14 who had no prior valid score were eligible to be administered the PPVT.
NOTE: Of the 8131 children born to mothers interviewed in 2006, 1972 were living in the household of an eligible mother and were interviewed or assessed in 2006. The "%" valid column indicates children with a valid score of those age-eligible for a particular assessment. Children who reached age 15 by the end of 2006 were not eligible for assessment.

 

NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children interviewed in 2008

        Race/ethnicity
    All children Hispanic Black Non-black/ Non-Hispanic
Assessment Child age N % N % N % N %
Child home environment
 The HOME Inventory         All ages (birth to 14) 1201 88.7 254 88.8 285 89.3 662 88.4
    Under 3 years 27 100.0 4 100.0 8 100.0 15 100.0
    3 to 5 years 74 83.1 22 88.0 13 65.0 39 88.6
    6 to 9 years 339 90.9 181 94.2 80 89.9 178 89.9
    10 to 14 years 761 88.0 147 86.0 184 91.1 430 87.4
Child social and emotional development
 Temperament Scale* 2 to 6 years 152 95.6 39 92.9 35 97.2 78 96.3
 Motor and Social Development Scale Under 4 years 42 87.5 11 91.7 10 76.9 21 91.3
 Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 1271 97.7 266 97.1 295 96.4 710 98.5
 Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 456 83.1 90 76.3 121 93.8 245 81.1
 Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 456 83.1 90 76.3 121 93.8 245 81.1
Child cognitive development
 WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7 to 11 years 562 86.9 110 85.9 134 87.6 318 86.9
 PIAT Math PPVT ages 5 to 14 1094 84.8 221 81.9 272 89.5 601 83.9
 PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5 to 14 1096 84.5 221 81.9 272 89.5 603 84.2
 PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5 to 14 1087 84.3 221 81.9 272 89.5 594 83.0
 PPVT-R   4 to 5 years 52 77.6 13 86.7 10 62.5 29 80.6
  10 to 11 years 289 85.3 49 81.7 67 85.9 173 86.1
*The Temperament Scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6.  Other temperament subscales are computed for subgroups of more restricted age ranges.
NOTE: Of the 7884 children born to mothers interviewed in 2008, 1354 were living in the household of an eligible mother and were interviewed or assessed in 2008.  The "%" valid column indicates children with a valid score of those age-eligible for a particular assessment.  Children who reached age 15 by the end of 2008 were not eligible for assessment.

NLSY79 Children with valid assessment scores: Children interviewed in 2010

Assessment Child age All children Race/ethnicity
Hispanic Black Non-Black/ Non-Hispanic
   # % # % # % # %
Child home environment
  The HOME Inventory         All ages (birth to 14) 792 88.5 167 88.4 184 86.0 441 89.6
Under 3 years 9 100.0 2 100.0 2 100.0 5 100.0
3 to 5 years 37 78.7 12 92.3 10 76.9 15 71.4
6 to 9 years 189 92.2 48 94.1 45 86.5 96 94.1
10 to 14 years 557 87.9 105 85.4 127 86.4 325 89.3
Child social and emotional development
  Temperament Scale* 2 to 6 years 73 97.3 20 95.2 17 100.0 36 97.3
  Motor and Social Development Scale Under 4 years 18 94.7 3 100.0 5 100.0 10 90.9
  Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 842 96.1 176 94.6 196 93.8 470 97.7
  Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 367 85.0 66 81.5 84 84.0 217 86.5
  Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 367 85.0 66 81.5 84 84.0 217 86.5
Child cognitive development
  WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7 to 11 years 338 85.4 75 84.3 82 83.7 181 86.6
  PIAT Math PPVT ages 5 to 14 733 84.6 151 82.5 171 82.6 411 86.3
  PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5 to 14 737 85.1 152 83.1 172 83.1 413 86.8
  PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5 to 14 740 85.5 153 83.6 174 84.1 413 86.8
  PPVT-R   4 to 5 years 22 78.6 9 90.0 7 100.0 6 54.5
10 to 11 years 176 79.3 35 72.9 44 80.0 97 81.5
 
*The Temperament Scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6.  Other temperament subscales are computed for subgroups of more restricted age ranges.
NOTE: Of the 8099 children born to mothers interviewed in 2010, 895 were living in the household of an eligible mother and were interviewed or assessed in 2010.  The "%" valid column indicates children with a valid score of those age-eligible for a particular assessment.  Children who reached age 15 by the end of 2010 were not eligible for assessment.

 

NLSY79 Children with valid assessment scores: Children interviewed in 2012

Assessment Child age All children Race/ethnicity
Hispanic Black Non-Black/ Non-Hispanic
   # % # % # % # %
Child home environment
  The HOME Inventory         All ages (birth to 14) 453 88.0 108 91.5 115 87.8 230 86.5
Under 3 years 5 100.0 0 0 2 100.0 3 100.0
3 to 5 years 4 33.3 0 0 1 33.3 3 42.9
6 to 9 years 74 93.7 21 91.3 18 100.0 35 92.1
10 to 14 years 370 88.3 87 93.6 94 87.0 189 86.7
Child social and emotional development
  Temperament Scale* 2 to 6 years 20 87.0 4 100.0 5 100.0 11 78.6
  Motor and Social Development Scale Under 4 years 5 100.0 0 0 2 100.0 3 100.0
  Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 485 95.1 115 97.5 122 94.6 248 94.3
  Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 272 84.7 60 89.6 67 78.8 145 85.8
  Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 272 84.7 60 89.6 67 78.8 145 85.8
Child cognitive development
  WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7 to 11 years 148 86.5 40 85.1 34 85.0 74 88.1
  PIAT Math PPVT ages 5 to 14 431 85.0 101 87.1 104 80.6 226 86.3
  PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5 to 14 431 85.0 102 87.9 105 81.4 224 85.5
  PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5 to 14 430 84,8 102 87.9 105 81.4 223 85.1
  PPVT-R   4 to 5 years 3 50.0 0 0 0 0 3 60.0
10 to 11 years 88 81.5 20 74.1 22 75.9 46 88.5
 
*The Temperament Scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6.  Other temperament subscales are computed for subgroups of more restricted age ranges.

NOTE: Of the 7892 children born to mothers interviewed in 2012, 515 were living in the household of an eligible mother and were interviewed or assessed in 2010. The "%" valid column indicates children with a valid score of those age-eligible for a particular assessment. Children who reached age 15 by the end of 2012 were not eligible for assessment; however, a number of children who turned 15 in the following calendar year (2013) were assessed as part of the child sample.

 

Table 6. NLSY79 children with valid assessment scores: Children interviewed in 2014

Assessment Child age All children Race/ethnicity
Hispanic Black Non-Black/ Non-Hispanic
   # % # % # % # %
Child home environment
  The HOME Inventory         All ages (birth to 14) 241 87.3 57 81.4 63 86.3 121 91.0
Under 3 years -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
3 to 5 years 5 100.0 0 0 2 100.0 3 100.0
6 to 9 years 24 82.8 4 80.0 7 100.0 13 76.5
10 to 14 years 212 87.6 53 81.5 54 84.4 105 92.9
Child social and emotional development
  Temperament Scale* 2 to 6 years 7 100.0 0 0 2 100.0 5 100.0
  Motor and Social Development Scale Under 4 years 2 100.0 0 0 2 100.0 0 0
  Behavior Problems Index 4 to 14 years 250 91.2 62 88.6 65 91.6 123 92.5
  Self-Perception Global 12 to 14 years 158 77.8 33 64.7 46 83.6 79 81.4
  Self-Perception Scholastic 12 to 14 years 158 77.8 33 64.7 46 83.6 79 81.4
Child cognitive development
  WISC-R Digit Span Subscale 7 to 11 years 53 79.1 15 79.0 14 87.5 24 75.0
  PIAT Math PPVT ages 5 to 14 212 77.9 48 68.6 60 84.5 104 79.4
  PIAT Reading Recognition PPVT ages 5 to 14 212 77.9 48 68.6 60 84.5 104 79.4
  PIAT Reading Comprehension PPVT ages 5 to 14 211 77.6 48 68.6 60 84.5 103 78.6
  PPVT-R   All ages 39 83.0 11 73.3 11 91.7 17 85.0
4 to 5 years 3 100.0 0 0 0 0 3 100.0
10 to 11 years 33 80.5 11 73.3 9 90.0 13 81.3
6-9, 12-14 years** 3 -- 0 -- 2 -- 1 --

*The Temperament Scale score reported is "Compliance," administered for children ages 2-6.

**The PPVT was administered to a small number of children outside of the age range for PPVT assessment because they did not have a prior valid PPVT score. Completion rates were not computed for these children.

NOTE: Of the 7,626 children born to mothers interviewed in 2014, 276 were age-eligible and interviewed or assessed in 2014. The "%" valid column indicates children with a valid score of those age-eligible for a particular assessment. Children who reached age 15 by the end of 2014 were not eligible for assessment; however, a number of children who turned 15 in the following calendar year (2015) were assessed as part of the child sample.

Repeat Assessments

The availability of comprehensive child data over time, coupled with longitudinal information on the family background, education, employment histories, and well-being of the NLSY79 mothers, provide researchers with a unique opportunity to examine the linkages between maternal- family behaviors and attitudes and subsequent child development. Certain measures in the NLSY79 Child surveys, such as the HOME, are taken at each survey point. Some assessments, such as the PIAT achievement battery, are administered to a wide range of age-eligible children over a period of time. Still others, such as the PPVT, are administered at the first eligible age, and then usually at the index age of 10 or 11. 

Overall patterns of repeat interviews can be seen in the Retention section, in Table 1 for children and in Table 2 for young adults.

In Table 7 we present data showing the extent to which children have been repeatedly assessed on the PIAT and PPVT. Children are included in Table 7 if they had any valid PIAT math or reading score in any of the assessment years from 1986 to the current survey round or any valid PPVT score. These counts of repeat assessment scores offer a preliminary idea of the number of data points for each of these measures over time. More than two thirds of NLSY79 children have three or more PIAT achievement measures, and more than 7,200 children have more than one PPVT score.

Table 7. Repeat PIAT and PPVT Scores: Children Assessed in Any Year 1986-2014
Number of Valid Scores1 PIAT Math Score PIAT Reading Score PPVT Score
One valid score 825 823 2223
Two valid scores 1028 1033 3882
Three valid scores 1207 1179 3229
More than three valid scores 6173 6186 145
Total 9233 9221 9479
 
1 The number of PIAT Math scores is based on a count of the survey years in which the child received a valid Math score. The number of PIAT Reading scores is based on a count of either valid Reading Recognition and/or Reading Comprehension scores in any survey year. The number of PPVT scores is based on a count of valid PPVT scores available in any survey year. Counts are based on the number of valid raw scores.

The pattern of repeat PIAT scores by age at the most recent assessment point is displayed in Table 8. This table shows the number of children with multiple PIAT scores, based on a count of any valid math or reading score between the initial and most recent assessment date. Children with only one valid PIAT score comprise the smallest subgroup in this table. As one would expect, the majority of 5- and 6-year-olds at the last interview date have only been tested once.  Children in the middle age group and those in early adolescence have valid scores from multiple survey points enabling various measures of change to be calculated. Clearly the number of children for whom repeat achievement scores are available is large, particularly when viewing the distribution for children ages 10-14.

Table 8. Number of PIAT Scores by Age of Child at Date of Last Valid Score: Children Assessed in Any Year 1986-2014
Valid PIAT Scores1 Age of Child (Years)
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 + Total  
One score 230 207 108 48 35 38 27 37 38 23 4 795
Two scores 0 2 132 201 120 137 110 115 117 62 36 1032
Three scores 0 0 0 8 109 222 141 259 220 115 87 1161
More than three scores 0 0 0 0 0 36 235 1232 2768 1677 300 6248
Total 230 209 240 257 264 433 513 1643 3143 1877 427 9236
 
1 The number of PIAT scores is based on a count of the number of survey rounds in which a child received a valid PIAT Math and/or Reading Recognition and/or Reading Comprehension score. Counts are based on the number of valid raw scores.

The number of repeat PPVT scores by child age at the date of the last valid score is profiled in Table 9. Users interested in multiple PPVT scores are directed to the index group of children who were assessed at preschool or early school levels and then again at the age of 10 or 11. Table 9 highlights the power of pooling the sample. This table shows larger numbers of children with multiple scores for assessments that were administered to them when they were age 10 or 11 years old. These children may now be of differing ages since the table displays counts at the last time a child was administered the PPVT.

Table 9. Number of PPVT Scores by Age of Child at Date of Last Valid Score: Children Assessed in Any Year 1986-2014
Valid PPVT Scores1 Age of Child (Years)
< 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 + Total  
One score 349 598 419 182 100 54 68 185 137 49 46 24 12 2223
Two scores 0 1 29 63 139 64 49 1499 1611 64 70 61 232 3882
Three scores 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 960 1286 338 250 298 88 3229
More than three scores 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 116 26 3 0 0 145
Total 349 599 448 245 239 118 126 2644 3150 477 369 383 332 9479
 
1 The number of PPVT scores is based on a count of the number of years in which a child received a valid PPVT score. Counts are based on the number of valid raw scores.

These examples illustrate how NLSY79 children experience varying degrees of repeat administration of various assessments. An overall picture of the assessment history of NLSY79 children who have become young adults is available in Table 2 in the Retention section.

References & Bibliography

The following citations refer to research cited in the user's guide and to basic background documents on the assessments and other instruments used in the NLSY79 Child and Young Adult surveys. A comprehensive, annotated online bibliography of NLS research provides additional references for research using the child and young adult data.

Documents and reports listed below that are prepared by the Center for Human Resources Research are available on the Research/Technical Reports page.

Achenbach, Thomas M. and C. S. Edelbrock. 1983. Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist and Revised Child Behavior Profile. Burlington, Vermont: University of Vermont, Department of Psychology.

Baker, Paula C. and Frank L. Mott. 1995. "Improving Data Quality Through CAPI: Evidence from the 1994 NLSY Child and Young Adult Data." Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the Population Association of America, San Francisco. Columbus: The Ohio State University, CHRR NLS User Services.

Baker, Paula C., Canada K. Keck, Frank L. Mott, and Stephen V. Quinlan. 1993. NLSY Child Handbook, Revised Edition: A Guide to the 1986-1990 NLSY Child Data. Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio State University, Center for Human Resource Research.

Bates, J. E. 1980. "The Concept of Difficult Temperament." Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 26 (4): 299-319.

Baydar, Nazli and April Greek. 2001. "Externalizing and Internalizing Subscales of Behavior Problems Index." Working Paper. Seattle: University of Washington, School of Nursing.

Baydar, Nazli. 1995. "Reliability and Validity of Temperament Scales of the NLSY Child Assessments." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 16: 339-370.

Baydar, Nazli, Patricia Hyle and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. 1997. "A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of the Birth of a Sibling During Preschool and Early Grade School Years." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59 (4): 957-965.

Bee, H., K. Bernard, S. Eyres, C. Gray, M. Hammond, A. Spietz, C. Snyder, and B. Clark. 1982. "Prediction of IQ and Language Skill from Perinatal Status, Child Performance, Family Characteristics, and Mother-Infant Interaction." Child Development 53: 1134-1156.

Bradley, Robert H. and Bettye M. Caldwell. 1976. "The Relation of Infant's Home Environments to Mental Test Performance at Fifty-Four Months: A Follow-up Study." Child Development 47: 1172-1174.

Bradley, Robert H. and Bettye M. Caldwell. 1980. "The Relation of Home Environment, Cognitive Competence, and IQ Among Males and Females." Child Development 51: 1140-1148.

Bradley, Robert H. and Bettye M. Caldwell. 1984. "The Relation of Infant's Home Environment to Achievement Test Performance in First Grade: A Follow-up Study." Child Development 55: 803-809.

Bradley, Robert H., Bettye M. Caldwell, and R. Elardo. 1979. "Home Environment and Cognition Development in the First Two Years: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis." Developmental Psychology 15: 246-250.

Bradley, Robert H., Robert Flynn Corwyn, Margaret R. Burchinal, Harriet Pipes McAdoo, and Cynthia Garcia Coll. "The Home Environments of Children in the United States Part II: Relations with Behavioral Development through Age Thirteen." Child Development 72 (November/December 2001): 1868-1886.

Bradley, Robert H., Robert Flynn Corwyn, Harriet Pipes McAdoo, and Cynthia Garcia Coll. "The Home Environments of Children in the United States Part I: Variations by Age, Ethnicity, and Poverty Status." Child Development 72,6 (November-December 2001): 1844-1867.

Buchanan, C., Maccoby, E., and Dornbusch, S. 1991. "Caught between Parents." Child Development, 62, 1008-1029.

Buros Institute for Mental Measurements. 1992. Mental Measurements Yearbook. Lincoln, Nebraska.

Buros Institute for Mental Measurements. 1994. Tests in Print. Lincoln, Nebraska.

Caldwell, Bettye M. and Robert H. Bradley. 1984. Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment. Little Rock: University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Center for Child Development and Education.

Campos, Joseph J., K. Barrett, M. E. Lamb, H. H. Goldsmith, and C. Stenberg. 1983. "Socioemotional Development." In M. M. Haith and J. J. Campos (eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume 2; Infancy and Developmental Psychobiology, pp. 783-915. New York: Wiley.

Carlson, Marcia Jeanne. "Family Structure, Father Involvement, and Adolescent Behavioral Outcomes." Journal of Marriage and Family 68,1 (February 2006): 137-154.

Center for Human Resource Research. The NLSY79 Child Assessments: Selected Tables. Columbus: The Ohio State University, CHRR NLS User Services.

Center for Human Resource Research. (updated periodically). Research Using NLSY Data on Fertility, Child Care and Child Development: A Bibliography. Columbus: The Ohio State University, CHRR NLS User Services.

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