Authors

• Pulkkinen, Lea (University of Jyväskylä. Department of Psychology)
• Kinnunen, Ulla (University of Jyväskylä. Department of Psychology)
• Kokko, Katja (University of Jyväskylä. Department of Psychology)

Keywords

accidents, bereavement, children, conscription, education, housing, labour and employment, life histories, offences, parental leave, parental role, partnerships (personal), unemployment

Abstract

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. At the 2001 research stage, various aspects of the lives of 42-year-old participants were charted with the help of interviews, life situation questionnaires, self-rating questionnaires, personality tests, and medical examinations. In connection with the interviews, the respondents told about their lives from the age of 15 with the help of life history calendars.

The respondents used the life history calendars in telling for example where they had lived each year, when they had moved away from their parents' home, and whether they had ever been homeless. Cohabitations, marriages and childbirths were also marked in the calendars. They were also asked about their education, full-time and part-time jobs, periods of unemployment, and the reasons for them. The respondents indicated when they had been homemakers, conscripted, on leave of absence, or retired. In addition, they were asked to tell about the deaths and serious accidents of their friends and close relatives, as well as whether they had ever been victims of a crime or caught for committing an illegal action, such as speeding, vandalism, theft, or violence.