Tekijät

• Pulkkinen, Lea (University of Jyväskylä. Department of Psychology)

Asiasanat

adults, alcoholism, children, economic recession, families, future, health, labour and employment, life cycle, life styles, parental role, parents, partnerships (personal), personal identity, smoking, social skills, unemployment, upbringing, values

Sisällön kuvaus

The data are part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS), in which the same individuals have been followed over 30 years. The research stage also included a life situation questionnaire, two personality tests, and self-ratings based on various tests and methods.

First, the respondents were asked to tell about their regular day and the most central things in their everyday lives. Some questions pertained to health, family welfare, work and hobbies, religion and views of life, lifestyle, and political perception. The respondents' hopes and fears were charted, as well as how much they believed to be able to influence them. Significant life events were also queried. In addition, the respondents were asked whether someone in their family had got caught for a crime.

The respondents estimated possible changes in their self-image. Further questions pertained to their current health, past illnesses or injuries, emotional life, alcohol and drug use, and gambling. The alcohol use of the respondents' parents and spouse was also canvassed.

Some questions charted the respondents' current and past couple relationships, ways of expressing emotions, and leisure time. The respondents were also asked whether their parents and grandparents were still alive, whether they had had a stepfather or a stepmother, how far away their parents lived, and how many siblings they had. Further questions probed different aspects of the respondents' relationship with their parents, grandparents, children, and other family members.

The significance and pace of work and the number of workplaces was charted, as well as work-life balance and the effects of the economic recession and unemployment. Some questions charted life control and the future

Background variables included the respondent's gender.