This study examined the association between ecological context (extrafamilial, familial, child factors) at baseline and longitudinal retention of families in the 36-month assessment of an adolescent alcohol and tobacco use prevention program that was conducted within a pediatric primary care setting. A total of 1,780 families were enrolled at…

Few studies have sought to assess predictors of retention of racial/ethnic or sexual minorities in longitudinal health research. The purpose of this study is to investigate predictors of retention of Latino gay and bisexual men and transgender (GBT) research participants after the baseline interview. Data come from a sample of 643 Latino GBT…

Active parental consent policies have been blamed for low participation rates and selection bias (i.e., loss of "high-risk" youths) in school-based studies. In this article, the authors describe active consent procedures that produced an overall active consent rate of 79% in a sample of more than 4,500 middle school students attending 29…

Interventions for a variety of emotional and behavioral problems are commonly delivered in the context of treatment groups, with many using rolling admission to sustain membership (i.e., admission, dropout, and discharge from group are perpetual and ongoing). The authors present an overview of the analytic challenges inherent in rolling group data…

The present study examined the relationship between attrition after intake and the length of time that clients spent on a waiting list by client race and problem type. Participants were 1,461 clients who completed an initial intake evaluation at a large, Mid-Atlantic counseling center over a 6-year period. Fullfactorial hierarchical logistic…

This study reports on progress in predicting overall completion rates for various open learning courses, given the demographic, curricular, and administrative conditions prevailing at the City Colleges of Chicago. (Author)

Sixty-five infants (mean age of 111 days) who failed to complete a two-day operant-conditioning task were compared with a stratified random sample of those who did on measures of infant temperament and several demographic characteristics. A discriminant-function analysis was performed. (Author/BN)

Discusses the methods used to maximize retention in a longitudinal study of adolescent drinking. Strategies to minimize attrition included the collection of detailed contact information, incentives for participation, postcard and telephone reminders and telephone interviews. Ninety-six percent of the original sample completed the first follow-up…

Briefly outlines problems associated with definition and official certification of suicide and reviews literature pertaining to validity and reliability of suicide statistics. Considers process of suicide certification as a test, estimating its sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value, using data from studies reviewed. (NB)

Analyzed 1968 mortality data and comparable 1970 census data for women. Found that women married to younger men tended to live longer than expected while women married to older men tended to die sooner than expected. Two possible explanations are considered: mortality outcomes are predetermined by mate selection, or psychological, social, and/or…

Presents a summary of an earlier monograph on the recruitment and retention of older ethnic minority individuals. Findings suggest that recruitment and retention success occurs when there is a match between the goals of the ethnic minority communities and the research community. (Contains 10 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)

Examined seven-year adolescent panel to determine whether attrition effects varied by type of substance assessed and method of measurement. Found study dropouts were more likely to use substances and reported higher mean use of substances at baseline than stayers; attrition effects varied by substance; and mean use comparisons were more likely to…

Presents formulas for estimating sample sizes to provide specified levels of power for tests of significance from a longitudinal design allowing for subject attrition. These formulas are derived for a comparison of two groups in terms of single degree-of-freedom contrasts of population means across the study timepoints. (Author/SLD)

This brief report provides an update to the analysis of five cohorts of new teachers in the Baltimore City Public School System (1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04). Presented here are updated retention figures using Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) teacher data for 2004-05, comparing teachers with different certification…

In a study of economically disadvantaged college freshmen it was found that the only significant differentiating factor between them and the average student was grades. (JD)