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Contributions of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to Child Development

Sarah James1, Sara McLanahan2, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn3

  • 1Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.

Annual Review of Developmental Psychology
|June 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) offers rich data for developmental research. This large, diverse birth cohort study tracks children and parents from birth to young adulthood, revealing crucial developmental insights.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) is a significant prospective birth cohort study.
  • It began with 4,898 children born in large US cities between 1998-2000.
  • Initially focused on unmarried parent families, its scope is broader.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the extensive potential of the FFCWS for developmental researchers.
  • To showcase the study's utility beyond its original focus.
  • To identify key research opportunities for understanding child and adolescent development.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective longitudinal data collection from birth to young adulthood (age 22).
  • Data gathered at multiple time points: birth, ages 1, 3, 5, 9, 15, and ongoing.
  • Comprehensive data on children, parents, and their environments.

Main Results:

  • FFCWS data enables analysis of developmental trajectories across diverse contexts.
  • It allows for examination of the timing of exposures and their impact on development.
  • The study facilitates documentation of bidirectional influences and biological mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • The FFCWS provides a unique resource for exploring multifaceted developmental questions.
  • Its large, diverse, urban-born cohort offers significant research advantages.
  • Developmentalists can leverage FFCWS to investigate complex developmental pathways and contextual factors.

Keywords:
Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Studyadolescencebirth cohortearly childhoodmiddle childhoodyoung adulthood

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