First-Year and Beyond (FAB) Study, 2021

The First-Year and Beyond Study enrolled 204 young adult participants as they arrived as new students on a college campus, then followed up with them as their social lives developed.
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Specifically, 238 individuals signed up for an “orientation” lab session by completing a preliminary survey assessing individual characteristics, well-being, and relationship orientations (including perceptions of caregiver/parental relationship), of which 204 attended. Once there, they completed additional survey-based questionnaires, engaged in a conversation with the experimenter (videorecorded), and provided their height, weight, and a sample of blood via finger prick. Participants completed a brief health survey every time they provided a blood sample; this survey assessed current/recent health-relevant behavior and symptoms.
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Then, over the first academic semester, each time they met someone (in-person) they might want to get to know better – either as a friend or potential romantic partner – they completed a brief online report (Initial Social Interaction Report; see Jolink & Algoe, 2024 for a published description of the method). Each Initial Social Interaction Report that a participant completed triggered a follow up survey 1 week later to assess whether the participant had interacted with that person again and their current feelings about them.
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At the end of the semester, participants received a follow up survey that asked about each new person participants reported on as well as overall physical and mental well-being, sense of belonging and roommate satisfaction, social network index, academic performance, and individual difference measures (e.g., personality).
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A few weeks into their second semester, participants completed another online “status update” survey with similar categories of constructs as the prior survey (e.g., relationship check-in, well-being) and came to the lab to provide another blood sample.
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In the middle of the second semester, participants completed an online survey on the same themes.
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At the end of the second semester/first year of college, participants again completed a survey and came to the lab to provide a final blood sample. At this time, participants were also given the opportunity to nominate other people who knew them to complete a brief online questionnaire about them. 93 participants completed the end of second semester survey. Of the 93 participants who provided nominations, we received observer reports for 64 participants. Of these 64 participants, there were 3.13 nominations per participant, for a total of 200 nominations.
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At the initial lab session, participants were able to provide consent for us to confidentially retrieve their official academic information from the university while they were enrolled; 190 opted to do that. Outcomes include grade point average and enrollment status.
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After data collection concluded, all blood samples (i.e., dried blood samples) were resuspended and assayed for two inflammatory markers: C-reactive protein and interleukin-6.
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Note: There were two study recruitment waves, for two different cohorts of incoming first year students. Wave 1 participants were recruited into a 1.5-year study from 2021-2022, whereas Wave 2 participants were recruited into a 9-month (one academic year) study from 2022-2023. Wave 1 participants were also sent a status update survey at the beginning of their second year of college along with five nights of questionnaires on their daily social lives, however only 53.9% of the original Wave 1 enrollees completed these questionnaires (N = 41).
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Below are the eligibility requirements listed in the consent form; “You are not eligible to participate in the study if….”:
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You are not at least eighteen years of age <BR>
You are not an undergraduate student spending your first year on campus <BR>
You are not single (that is, you are not in an exclusive, committed, or long-term romantic relationship) and willing and open to making new friends as well as interested in going on dates <BR>
You are not willing to attend a 45-minute lab session on campus <BR>
You are not willing to complete regularly scheduled short online questionnaires over the course of the study <BR>
You are not willing to stay in the study for 10 months <BR>
You have arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or joint problems <BR>
You have an immune disorder, auto-immune disorder or chronic disease of the endocrine system. <BR>
You have a major medical condition (e.g., diabetes, asthma) <BR>
You have a psychiatric disorder other than depression or anxiety <BR>
You have a diagnosed sleep disorder <BR>
You are a regular cigarette or marijuana smoker <BR>
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UNC IRB approval number: 20-0928