Longitudinal Study of New Zealand Children and Families: Development Phase
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Children represent the nation’s future and the families in which they are raised play a crucial role in their development and socialisation. Understanding the complex factors that influence children’s development, both within and beyond the family setting, is essential for the development of effective public policy.
A new longitudinal study of New Zealand children and families is being developed by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) in partnership with the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC). A research team led by the University of Auckland has been contracted to design a new study. This work will enable the government to decide whether the time is right to invest in the study, which would continue for up to 25 years.
What is a longitudinal study?
A longitudinal study gathers information on the same group of children and their families over a long period of time. This is the best way of studying causal influences on child development and examining the effects of important life transitions. For example, how do early experiences and family circumstances influence a child’s later education, employment, and social participation?
Two internationally acclaimed longitudinal studies were started in Dunedin and Christchurch in the 1970s. A new longitudinal study would capture the social and demographic shifts that have occurred in the intervening years, and ensure that government continues to have up to date information about New Zealand children and families to help it develop social policy.
A new study would examine children’s developmental outcomes across a broad range of domains of wellbeing, such as health, educational attainment, social adjustment and behaviour. It would also examine factors that influence children’s development, including the family environment, schooling, social networks and community resources, as well as the impact of new technologies, mass media, and social values. The current round of work will lay the groundwork for establishment of a new study.
Who is involved?
The development phase is being undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers with varying backgrounds, including researchers from the University of Auckland, University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington. The team’s work is being led by Dr Susan Morton at the University of Auckland. The research team members are:
University of Auckland
- Dr Susan Morton
- Professor Peter Davis
- Dr Melani Anae
- Dr Sue Crengle
- Associate Professor Robyn Dixon
- Associate Professor Cameron Grant
- Elizabeth Robinson
- Dr Samson Tse
- Dr Karen Waldie
University of Otago
- Associate Professor Tony Blakely
- Vivienne Ivory
Victoria University of Wellington
- Associate Professor Jan Pryor
The development work is being overseen by an executive steering committee with representatives from the Ministry of Social Development, the Families Commission, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, Statistics NZ, the Treasury, the Health Research Council, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education.
The development phase
The research team will develop a detailed study design, and an implementation plan for the first two years of the study. The key tasks are to:
- develop a long-term vision for the study
- develop a detailed study design
- develop a strategy for engaging and retaining participants in the study
- give specific attention to procedures for Maori, Pacific and Asian participants
- field test recruitment strategies and some data collection procedures
- develop an implementation plan for the first two years of the study
- identify opportunities for data linkages
- create plans for consultation and communication.
Why is it important to know about the development of children and families?
Child development is an extraordinarily complex process, which encompasses not only observable changes, such as
- physical growth,
- attainment of motor skills
- language acquisition,
but more hidden inner changes in
- cognition,
- attachment
-
emotion.
These processes are influenced by a wide range of environmental factors, which may have both positive and negative consequences. Scientific understanding of the processes of child development, and factors that influence it is still only partial at best.
It is important to seek better understanding of these processes, since knowledge of factors that compromise child development and lead to poor functioning in later life such as
- physical problems
- mental health problems
- educational failure
- substance abuse
-
criminal offending
It can point the way to the development of policies to boost child development and reduce the social costs associated with such problems.
What would a new longitudinal study of families and children do?
A new longitudinal study would capture the social and demographic shifts that have occurred since the Christchurch and Dunedin studies were established, and ensure that government continues to have up-to-date information about New Zealand children and families to help it develop social policy.
A new study would:
-
examine children’s developmental outcomes across a broad range of
- domains of wellbeing, such as:
- health
- educational attainment
- social adjustment
-
behaviour.
-
examine factors that influence children’s development, including:
- the family environment,
- schooling
- social networks and
- community resources
- impact of new technologies, mass media, and social values.
The engagement of government sector agencies will ensure that, should a new study proceed, it will be well positioned to meet governments’ information needs.
Why do we need another study?
While the Christchurch and Dunedin studies have been invaluable and continue to tell is a lot about the participants now in their 30s, the information on early childhood is no longer relevant. The world has changed in fundamental ways since the 1970s and our demographics today have changed.
- Family life is different,
- the labour market has changed
- social environment has changed
- advances have been made in technology
- scientific understanding
-
new data analysis techniques.
The new study will build on knowledge from exiting studies and will reflect the reality of growing up in the 21st Century. It will focus on questions of policy relevance. Recruitment in this study will be performed ante-natally to capture detailed information about the factors affecting development in the womb.
A new study will look to provide a better understanding of the increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in New Zealand and how that influences the way in which children are raised.
How will the findings be used?
It is important to note that data from a new study would add to the evidence base for the development of policy relating to children and families.
The findings from the study will be used to help inform policy development work on areas such as:
- early intervention for families with young children
- family violence among families with young children
- how to boost families’ self-reliance and resilience, and
- how to improve outcomes among socially isolated families
- how to improve health and education outcomes.
