The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent development and psychopathology within the context of the family environment.
Three groups of adolescents and their parents were studied: insulin dependent diabetic adolescents; adolescents who were psychiatrically hospitalized in the first year of the study; and nonpatient high school students. There were 57 participants in the diabetic sample, 70 in the psychiatric sample, and 76 in the nonpatient sample. All participants were 14 years old when first contacted.
Data were collected over a 4-year period, from 1978 to 1982, using a battery of instruments assessing personality and moral development. Interviews were conducted each year, focusing on changes, stresses, and familial and peer relationships. Direct observation of family interactions was also included each year.
The Murray Center has acquired the interview transcripts and completed questionnaires for all four years of the study (available as original paper data and microfiche) as well as computer-accessible data. Data are available for the psychiatric and nonpatient samples, but not for the diabetic sample.