The Danish Longitudinal Survey of Children born in 1995 (II, 1999)

The purpose of this survey is to obtain information for statistical and scientific assessment of how social conditions, education, employment conditions, health, family relations and work develop for the generation which in 1995 has a child under the age of one year. # The data material is obtained by means of new interviews with approx. 7,000 selected parents who in 1995 had children under the age of one year. (Cf. DDA-2137: Panel Survey of the Children of a Generation, 1995). # #The following information is included from the interviews in 1995: #1. Social framework of the family: #- Municipal policy concerning day-care institutions in relation to # the individual family: Which day-care offers are available? # Waiting lists? Are any other municipally supported child-minding # facilities available? #- Support from health visitor. #- Use of the public leave arrangements. #- Planned use of the public leave arrangements and municipal # child-minding facilities. #- Advantages/disadvantages of the arrangements; reasons for # choosing/not choosing the arrangements. #- Possibility of using the arrangements. #2. Demographic and socio-economic variables: #- Age of the parents. #- Geographical and urbanizational location of the dwelling. #- Family structure: number of breadwinners, number of children, # age and sex of the children, children of the marriage/children # of different marriages. #- Duration of cohabitation. #- Gross and net income. #- Sources of income. #- Housing conditions: owned/rented/on the co-operative system; # summary measures for quality. #- Housing environment; number of social problems. #- Employment situation: employed/unemployed/in training/in job # offer/in education offer. #- Occupational status: occupation; hierarchical position at place # of work; work functions; autonomy; number of subordinates; # branch of trade. #- Vocational education. #- Normal daily/weekly number of working hours. #3. Socio-cultural variables: #- Childhood and adolescence conditions of the parents in the first # 14 years; unbroken/broken family; geographical location and # urbanization; type of family. #- The parents' employment and occupational status during # childhood and adolescence. #- Career orientation. #- The concept of work (measured by means of an attitudinal as # well as a behavioural index). #- Idea of 'a good job' and 'a good life'. #- Attitude to public authorities. #4. Organization of daily life, and the family's relations to the # social surroundings: #- Mutual relations. #- Daily division of tasks and responsibility. #- Changes in family life as a consequence of the new child. #- Contact with family, friends and acquaintances. #- Possibility of support from the social network. #- Closed/open family. #5. Attention to and expectations regarding the parental role: #- Values concerning upbringing. #- Practice concerning upbringing: encouraging/permissive/ # restrictive; patient/impatient; spoiling/a firm hand. #- Ambitions: weaning; toilet training; training of sleeping # habits. #- The parents' experience of the first months of the child's life. #- Wished-for child? #- Degree of agreement concerning upbringing and care of the child. #- Do the demands on parenthood equal the expectations? # In which ways is it different than expected? #- How confident do the parents feel in the parental role # (something natural/something which gives rise to worry/something # one may get out of a book). #- Any wishes concerning support to the upbringing of children. #- The reaction of sisters and brothers to the new family # situation. #6. Health, well-being and mutual relations of the parents: #- Health: expressed by certain general measures. #- Well-being/mental well-being. #- Degree of agreement as regards the division of tasks in # connection with household duties, shopping, care of the child. #- Is the child regarded as an enrichment or a load in the mutual # relation? #- Degree of satisfaction with the marriage. #- Assessment of own ability to solve conflicts. #7. The child's personality and reaction patterns: #- The child's relation to sisters and brothers, if any. #- Active/passive; curious/contact-seeking/unresponsive towards # 'strangers'. #- Quiet/restless/wailing. #- Easy/difficult to comfort. #8. Health and well-being of the child: #- Length and weight at birth. #- Birth complications, if any. #- Special diseases: congenital, chronic, temporary. #- Physical development in the first months (development # indicators?). #- Eating/digestion/breast feeding. #- Sleep. #- Colic child. #In addition, the following information is included from the interviews in 1999: #1. The child's development and behaviour: #- Physical development. #- Intellectual development. #- Behaviour towards other children. #- Temperament. #2. The child's health and diseases. #- Hospitalization. #- Diseases. #- Use of various doctors to the child. #- Problems concerning well-being. #3. Child upbringing: #- The mother's assessments and reactions. #- Persons worried about the child's development and upbringing. #- Contact to social security authorities about the child. #4. Minding of the child: #- Type of child-minding since birth. #- Day-care institution/private day-care. #- Mother's satisfaction with the day-care institution/private # day-care. #5. Cohabitation/divorce of the parents: #- The parents are still together: Length of marriage/cohabitation. #- The parents are divorced: When and reasons why, e.g. cultural # differences, infidelity, alcohol problems, etc. Who has custody # of the child, and visiting rights of the other parent. #6. Networks: #- May the family get help with child-minding and practical doings # in the home by family members outside the household or by # friends and neighbours