This introduction to a special issue describes children's injuries in statistical, historical, and social terms. The following key concepts are presented: (1) Childhood injuries are neither random, unavoidable, nor inexplicable; (2) various disciplines suggest different interventions; (3) individuals or populations may be targeted for prevention…

Data from the Sustaining Effects Study were used to investigate the impact of attrition. Four types of analyses were conducted: estimation of attrition rate by project, estimation of bias by project, prediction of bias at the project level, and estimation of bias associated with alternative aggregation procedures. Effects of attrition varied with…

Findings indicated that as the proportion of nominators declines, sociometric classifications become less accurate. Of the groups usually compared in studies of children's social adjustment, the average and neglected groups appear least resistant, and the rejected group most resistant, to classification errors due to nominator attrition. (RH)

Presents a method for the collection and analysis of collateral data about research subjects (i.e., measurements of events in subjects' lives that may affect outcome measures and/or lead to attrition). A six-step procedure evaluates bias resulting from subject attrition from a study using data from lost and retained subjects. (SLD)

Assesses the reliability of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data in terms of attrition patterns, characteristics of attriters and returners, and comparability with the Current Population Survey (CPS). Explores how attrition might corrupt the picture of labor-market experience and attempts to reconcile discrepancies between the CPS…

This longitudinal study of beginning teachers in Kentucky yields a number of characteristics useful in identifying persons most likely to obtain and retain teaching positions in secondary education. The Western Kentucky University Teacher Preparation Evaluation Program (TPEP), begun in 1971, follows careers of elementary and secondary school…

This article discusses the limitations of 14 randomized controlled trials of exercise rehabilitation for patients who sustained myocardial infarction. The difficulty of sampling patients and controlling the sample size is discussed and the benefits of pooled statistical evidence are considered. (JL)

Describes common methodological inadequacies in research on treatment of obesity and suggests alternatives. Importance of multiple measurement of outcome is emphasized. Merits of alternative single-subject and between-groups experimental designs are discussed. Reasons for conspicuous lack of long-term follow-ups are analyzed. Recommendations for…

Studied the effects of program and patient characteristics on patient retention in residential, out-patient, and methadone maintenance drug treatment programs. Data for 26,047 patients in 87 programs show that threshold retention rates were generally low for all 3 program types, although program practice and service provision played important…

Presents procedures for reducing attrition in clinical research and provides a case study for examination by researchers. Includes lists of preventative strategies and statistical methodologies to reduce attrition and bias. Argues that early planning for attrition by adjusting sample sizes is a scientifically sound approach to clinical research…

Although time and resource intensive, longitudinal studies offer the ability to examine the direction and magnitude of causal relationships that cannot be accomplished through cross-sectional design. (Contains 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study is to see if older adults who experience problems with thought suppression tend to encounter greater difficulty deriving a sense of meaning in life. Data from a longitudinal nationwide survey of older people (N = 988) indicate that greater difficulty with thought suppression is associated with a decline in meaning over…

Most of the observational study of marriage has focused on relatively young and highly educated couples from professional backgrounds; working-class couples, older couples, and couples from distressed marriages seem reluctant to volunteer for research on close relationships. The development of techniques for recruiting these couples represents an…

Examines the mortality experience in 1979-81 of three first generation Hispanic subpopulations in the United States. Reports that mortality is relatively high among adolescents and young adults, particularly males, largely due to violent deaths. Aged migrants exhibit relatively low death rates from heart disease and cancer. (KH)

Health effects of migration were studies among Chinese Americans living inside and outside of Chinatowns. For most causes of death both populations showed a common level of mortality. In spite of the data limitations in this study, the findings were compatible with transition experiences noted for Japanese migrants. (VM)