MEMORANDUM TO       SPD Steering Committee

From:                               Jenny Hess
                                        Center for Survey Methods Research/SRD

Subject:                           Results of cognitive testing on the Residential History Module for
                                        Survey of Program Dynamics 2000

Enclosed are two reports on results of the cognitive testing conducted on the residential history questions for the Survey of Program Dynamics 2000. Dr. Robert Belli (Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan) prepared the first report under contract with CSMR. I prepared the second report. Both reports detail the problems found during cognitive testing. Dr. Belli's report provides general recommendations for revising the questions at the end of the report. In addition to the two reports, there are several attachments. Attachment A is a copy of the questionnaire tested and interviewing protocol. Attachment B is the residential history calendar that was used during the cognitive testing. Attachment C details respondent characteristics for the interviews I conducted. Attachment D contains item-by-item recommendations for revising the questionnaire and calendar as well as issues raised during cognitive testing that need to be resolved. Attachment E is a draft questionnaire based on the recommendations contained in Attachment D and the Belli report. Note that Attachment E does not address all the issues raised in the reports, but is provided in order to give readers the general flow of the recommended questionnaire.

Our basic recommendation is to allow interviewers to use a more flexible interviewing technique to collect the information on separations from biological mothers and fathers and periods of living with other adults. We propose that a flexible interviewing technique be used to fill out the residential history calendar completely before inputting data into the automated instrument. (All data will be input in the automated instrument during the course of the interview.) A flexible technique will allow interviewers and respondents to use the residential history calendar to its fullest extent and not force respondents to proceed through the interview in a linear manner. Once the calendar has been filled out, the interviewer will input the data into the automated instrument and ask all appropriate follow-up questions. If this technique is not adopted, the results from the cognitive interviews suggest that the sponsor will need to consider one of two options, either reduce the scope of content collected and focus only on a few critical residential history elements, or drastically increase the list of scripted questions. We favor using the flexible interviewing technique to fill out the calendar because we believe it will improve data quality and accommodate the scope of content desired.

Please note that Dr. Belli and I conducted our interviews using different methodologies. For most of his interviews, Dr.Belli did not use the structured protocol I had developed because he found it difficult to use. Instead he relied more on a flexible interviewing technique and allowed respondents to "tell their stories." Since our methods differed substantially, I asked him to include a description of how he conducted his interviews in his report ("methodology section"). I used the protocol included in Attachment A with an emphasis are obtaining respondents' understanding of the questions. I did not provide respondents with additional information beyond what is included in the questions, but rather probed them for their understanding of the questions tested. If you would like additional information regarding differences in our interviewing techniques, please let me know.

Please contact me on 457-4968 if you have any questions or comments on the report or recommendations.

To: Jenny Hess, Bureau of the Census

From: Bob Belli, University of Michigan

Date: 3/23/99

Report of Cognitive Interviews for "Event History Calendar Method for Improving Retrospective Recall of Survey Questions" project, using SPD 2000 interviewing protocol.

I. Methodology

Robert Belli conducted six concurrent cognitive think-aloud interviews during February and March of 1999. Respondents were screened for having had minor children who stopped or started living with them. In all interviews, the household roster information was collected following the scripts in the protocols. This included asking questions about eligible children both within and outside the respondents present household, and asking for eligible children of all household members aged 15 and older. In no case was there a situation in which a household member other than the respondent had an eligible child living outside the household.

Table 1: Respondents and Eligible Children
 

Gender	Birth date	Race	Eligible Children
			Sex	Relation to R	In R's house?	Birth date
1. Female	3/8/67	African American	1.F 2.M 3.F	bio child bio child bio child	no no  yes	2/26/85 2/9/88 1/17/98
2. Female	7/24/61	white	1.M 2.F	adopted child adopted child	yes yes	1/31/77 3/10/79
3. Female	12/24/55	white	1.M 2. F 3. F	bio child bio child grandchild	no yes yes	7/9/78 4/2/80 7/16/98
4. Female	2/16/54	white	1. M 2. M 3. F 4. M	bio child bio child bio child bio child	no no no no	7/3/78 12/28/88 7/9/90 5/31/92
5. Female	3/16/67	white	1. F	guardianship	no	x/x/80
6. Female	10/13/53	Native American	1. M	bio child	no	5/19/77

Note: x means that this value was not known by the respondent

The methodology for conducting the interviews was mixed. The first four interviews followed the screener questions as written. With the last two interviews, the screener questions (SCRIA - SCR1E) were asked only to the extent that eligible children were identified. In all of the interviews except the third one, the calendar information was collected flexibly with respondents, that is, the scripted questions MOM1 to OTHAD5 were not asked exactly as written, nor in the prescribed order. Instead, the calendar, used interactively with the respondent, was used as a guide to collect the required information. Interestingly, an attempt was made to follow the scripted question sequence of MOM1 to OTHAD5 during the fourth interview, but R4 was too impatient and preferred a more interactive style. In all interviews, while introducing the calendar with INTROCAL, the respondent was shown the respective parts of the calendar as INTROCAL was read, which implicitly invited the respondent to work with the interviewer in filling out the required information. Since the calendar was often dealt with in a flexible manner, the respondent often found themselves telling narratives about their experiences, which were flexibly probed for purposes of recording information as specified by the calendar.

In all interviews, respondents were asked the retrospective probes asking about hypothetical move vignettes, and the debriefing questions concerning the calendar. Additionally, a flashcard was constructed for OTHAD5 and used in all interviews, as an aide for respondents to answer this question. It is recommended that a flashcard be used for this question.

Interviews were audiotaped, and respondents were paid $25 for their participation.

Table 2: Calendar information
 

R#	Child #	Living Apart from Biological		Living With
		Mother	Father
1	1 & 2 3	x/95 - now	x/85 - now 1/98 - now	grandmother: x/95 - now grandfather: x/85 - now aunt: x/85 - now
2	1 2	6/91 - 7/92 8/92 - 3/97	6/91 - 10/91 8/92 - 1/95	foreign student: 6/91 - 10/91 stepfather: 10/83 - 9/85 nonmarital partner: 6/87 - 10/92 stepfather: 10/83 - 9/85 nonmarital partner: 6/87 - 10/92 stepmother: 10/92 - 9/93 adoptive mother: 9/93 - 3/97
3	1 2 3	8/91 - 7/96 8/91 - 3/92	11/89 - 8/91 11/89 - 8/91 3/92 - 4/98 7/98 - now	nonmarital partner: 8/91 - 7/96 nonmarital partner: 8/91 - 3/92 grandmother: 7/98 - now housemate: 8/98 - now housemate: 11/98 - now
4	1 2, 3 & 4	7/78 - 7/96 12/97 - now	7/78 - 7/96 12/97 - now	unknown after adopted: 7/78 - 7/96 foster care: 12/97 - now
5	1	5/96 - now	5/96 - now	biological sister: 5/96 - 8/96 brother of sister-in-law: 8/96- 12/96 biological brother: 1/97 - 5/97 guardian: 6/97 - 9/97 biological brother: 9/97 - now housemate: 1/97 - 5/97 housemate: 6/97 - 9/97
6	1	11/94 - 5/95

Note: x means that this value was not known by the respondent

II. Observed Problems

1. CKMF

For the most part, respondents did not have difficulty with interpretation of key concepts.

"Biological children" meant:

"If a child lived with his mother during the school year and his father for three months during the summer, would you consider that a move?" 5 yes, 1 dk

"If a child lived with her grandmother during the week to attend school, and with her parents on the weekends, would you consider that a move?" 1 yes, 5 no

"If a child spent every other weekend with his father and the rest of the time with his mother, would you consider that a move?" 1 yes, 5 no

"If a child was at boarding school during the school year and at home during the summer, would you consider that a move?" 6 yes

"If a child moved with his family from one apartment to another in the same building, would you consider that a move?" 6 yes

"If a child spent two months during the summer with his father, and the rest of the time with his mother, would you consider that a move?" 4 yes, 2 no

Respondent debriefing questions

1. We used this form (the residential history calendar) to record the your (child/children's) living situation since birth. What did you think about this form?

1. All respondents, except R1, were able to remember the months of transitional events. Interviewers should be trained as to what to do for respondents who are unable to remember the months of transitions.

2. With R2, there was an extended period in which there was a joint custody following a divorce. During this time, the children were considered to be living with both biological parents, although the biological parents were not living together.

3. R2 served in three roles -- as a nonmarital partner, as a stepparent, and as an adoptive mother, in living with one of the children. With the other child, although she was a stepparent and adoptive parent, she did not live with this other child in these roles. At issue is how to handle these people. I had filled out three other adult lines on the calendar, one for each role. Another option might be to fill out only one line per person, but then it would become difficult to input an appropriate role.

4. R4 was a very challenging respondent. Although intelligent, R4 appeared thought-disordered, and she was particularly motivated to discuss her personal problems concerning her children. The household roster and the screener questions took a great deal of time. I decided not to follow the scripted questions while going through the calendar, as she had already shown impatience with the earlier questions. I was able to fill out two calendars for her biological children (the daughter had been placed in a different foster care home than her sons). Additionally, I returned to the script to ask about the causes of separation and living with other adults (MOM3, DAD3, OTHAD5), the number of moves, the hypotheticals, and the final debriefing questions concerning the calendar.

5. To my surprise, most respondents were confident in reporting the moves of children, although it was clear that R2 missed one of the moves which was mentioned while filling out the calendar.

IV. Overall Recommendation

In general, I found the scripted portions of the EHC frustrating. The screener questions are too involved, and they should be used only to the extent that they identify eligible children. As is, the interview length will be considerable if for every child, one has to ask questions about both the biological mother and father, and each of the other adults listed in SCR1C. Additionally, the linear flow of the MOM1 to OTHAD5 section interferes with the ability of the calendar to optimize autobiographical recall. In particular, this linear flow discourages respondents to work across the timelines, and to tell about their experiences in a natural, narrative manner. In methodological production setting work conducted at the University of Michigan, interviewers preferred administering a flexible calendar than asking scripted questions, and that the length of interviews was significantly shorter with the calendars. Accordingly, I recommend that the calendar portion of the interview be highlighted as a data collection instrument in its own right. Since there are likely to be a great deal of variation in which aspects of the question objectives are pertinent to individual respondents, interviews will be most efficient by permitting flexible interviewing by using the calendar as the primary guide to collecting information.

The following guidelines deserve to be cognitively tested. Although my last interviews followed these guidelines with no observable major problems, both respondents had rather uncomplicated histories.

1. Use the screener questions only to the extent to which eligible children are identified. For most eligible children then, their eligibility will be decided with SCR1A and SCR1B. If necessary, SCR1C can be used, but present as a flashcard, and allow the respondent to decide with only a single omnibus "yes" (eligible) or "no" response. The screener question can be modified as "was there ever a period of three months of more when (child) lived with any one of the following people?"

2. CKMF should function as well with the recommended changes as originally. Since all of the information comes from the household roster and cycling through the OTHCHLD section, the changes to the screener questions (above) will not affect CKMF.

3. SCR1D and SCR1E should be asked after the calendar has been filled out, using information from the calendar. During calendar work, interviewers are likely to discover whether there were more than one stepmother. Or they can be instructed to probe for more than one of each of the categories of stepmother, etc. Of course, for each different person, a line should be reserved on the calendar.

4. The calendar should be introduced with INTROCAL. INTROCAL ought to be reworded to emphasize that the interest is to gain the periods of time when children were living apart from biological parents for three months or more, or with other adults for three months or more. Flexible interviewing should then be encouraged. Interviewers should be trained regarding the objectives of the calendar. The CAI program can prompt interviewers with suggested question wordings for collecting the information that is presently scripted from MOM1, DAD1, and SCR1C. SCR1C should be presented to respondents as a flashcard, and the interviewer should be clear while interacting with the respondent to include all other adults, whether living with either of the biological parents or not. Interviewers can collect information for each role (as depicted on the flashcard), per person, per line. Additionally, for other adults who had served in more than one role, a line can be reserved for each role that was served, and the interviewer can keep track that an individual served more than one role.

5. After the calendar is filled out, the CAI can be used to enter the information that is found in MOMSEP, MOM3, DADSEP, DAD3, OTHADSEP, OTHAD4, and OTHAD5 (presented as a flashcard!). To record information on "other adults,"for each calendar the CAI application can instruct the interviewer to enter the total number of lines filled out (numerically, following the calendar), how many persons served multiple roles, and for each multiple-roled person, which lines were entered. Then, for each line number, information can be collected concerning the type of role, the number of spells, the start and stop times of each spell, who moved, and the reason for living with the other adult. As some of this will be new information, the interviewer will need to be asking the respondent some of these questions. In fact, the interviewer and respondent can interact in the computer entry of all of this information, which additionally may assist respondents' ability to recall.

I. Background

Members of the American Statistical Association/Survey Research Methods Section Working Group on Technical Aspects of the SIPP and the SPD suggested including questions on children's residential history in the SPD during their meeting on May 29-30, 1997. ChildTrends, Inc. (CTI) prepared a draft children's residential history calendar and associated question list and included it in materials submitted for consideration for the 1999 extended measures of children's well-being module. The draft CTI submitted was intended to be administered by paper and pencil. Staff from the Census Bureau's Population Division (POP) revised the children's residential history module with a computer-assisted administration in mind. Staff from the Center for Survey Methods Research (CSMR) tested two different versions of the children's residential history questions developed by POP in two series of cognitive interviews conducted from February-June 1998. Based on the results of that testing, the SPD Steering Committee decided to delay implementation of the children's residential history module until 2000 to allow additional time for development and testing.

Dr. Robert Belli at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, under contract with CSMR developed a residential history calendar and associated question list to be used in an automated questionnaire. The calendar is a paper instrument to serve as an aid to enhance respondent recall of their children's living situations since birth. POP and CSMR staff revised the question list and calendar to be used in two series of cognitive interviews, one at the University of Michigan and one at CSMR. This report includes results from the latter only. Dr.Belli will submit a separate report summarizing results from his testing. Below is a description of the methodology, a summary of major problems identified, and item-by-item results. Recommendations for revisions to the questionnaire will be based on both sets of cognitive interviews and will be submitted under separate cover.

II. Methodology

Jennifer Hess conducted seven concurrent cognitive think-aloud interviews to test respondent comprehension of the children's residential history questions during February 1999. In addition respondents were asked debriefing questions following the cognitive interview about the usefulness of the residential history calendar as an aid for enhancing respondent recall of their children's living situations. The interviews lasted approximately one hour and respondents received $30 for their participation. Four of the interviews were conducted at CSMR's Response Research Laboratory and were video and audio taped with the respondents' permission. Three of the interviews were conducted at sites more convenient for the respondent and were audio taped. The same interview protocol and debriefing questions were used for interviews conducted at CSMR and the University of Michigan. A copy of the questionnaire/cognitive interview protocol and the residential history calendar tested are included as Attachments A and B.

We successfully recruited respondents whose children (or grandchildren who live with them) have lived in a variety of different living situations throughout their lifetimes (see Attachment C for a complete listing). Three respondents are grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren (respondents 1, 5, and 7 on attachment). One of these grandparents was the foster care provider for four of her grandchildren and is now their adoptive mother. Two respondents were single mothers in their mid-20's (respondents 2 and 3 on attachment). One of these respondents lives with her parents; she has one daughter who lives with her and one that lives with the child's biological father. One respondent was a married father of two children (respondent 4). And the last respondent was woman married for the second time who had children from both marriages (respondent 6). Three of the respondents completed 11^th grade, one completed high school, one completed two years of college, and the other two had college degrees.

II. Summary of Major Problems Identified

Below is a brief summary highlighting the most important findings. (The item labels from the questionnaire are shown in parentheses.)

Provided below are the results of cognitive testing for the seven interviews CSMR staff conducted. The question wording tested is provided along with a summary of problems identified. The label name from the questionnaire is shown in parentheses.

<OTHCHLD1>

[In this section, we would like to ask some questions about the past and present living arrangements of the children of this household.

I have listed the following children born since January 1, 1974 who are living in this household.]

Name                             Sex                 Birthdate                                  Relationship to Resp

{LIST ALL CHILDREN BORN SINCE JANUARY 1, 1974 WHO ARE LIVING IN THIS HOUSEHOLD.}

<1> Yes
<2> No (go to <OTHCHLD4>)
<D> Don’t know (go to <OTHCHLD4>)
<R> Refused (go to <OTHCHLD4>)

Probe:                 What is this question asking in your own words?
                            What does the phrase “biological children” mean to you?
________________________________________________________________________
<OTHCHLD2>      How many other biological children (do you/does name) have?

                               ENTER NUMBER OF CHILDREN
________________________________________________________________________

<OTHCHLD3>         What is [the first] child’s name?

                                   @1 __________________________________

                                    ASK IF NECESSARY:  What is [his/her] sex?

                                   <1> Male
                                   <2> Female

                                    @2 ==>

                                    When was  [she/he] born?

                                   @3 ___Month  ____Day  ____Year
________________________________________________________________________
[Ask if person is 18 or over.  Otherwise go to CKSCR1A.]
<OTHCHLD4>         (Do you/Does name) have any adopted children who were born since January 1, 1974 and are
                                   living somewhere else?

                                 <1> Yes
                                 <2> No (go to CKSCR1A)
________________________________________________________________________
<OTHCHLD5>         How many adopted children living elsewhere (do you/does name) have?

                                  ENTER NUMBER OF CHILDREN.
________________________________________________________________________
[Cycle through <OTHCHLD6@1-@3> until information for all additional adopted children has been collected.]

<OTHCHLD6>         What is [the first] child’s name?

                                   @1 ____________________________________

                                    ASK IF NECESSARY: What is [his/her] sex?
                                   <1> Male
                                   <2> Female

                                    @2==>

                                 When was  [s/he] born?

                                   @3____Month  ___ Day  ____ Year

________________________________________________________________________
CKSCR1A. Go to <OTHCHLD1> and ask for next person in household age 15 or over.
If no additional person age 15 or over in household, go to <SCR1A>.
________________________________________________________________________
[Ask <SCR1A> through <SCR1C> for each eligible child beginning with the oldest eligible child.]
[Fill bracket if child  is 18 or over.  Otherwise leave blank.]

<SCR1A>          [Up until he/she was 18,] Was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live
                           with (his/her) biological mother?

                               <1> Yes
                               <2> No
                               <D>
                               <R>

Probe:             What is this question asking in your own words?
________________________________________________________________________
[Fill bracket if child  is 18 or over.  Otherwise leave blank.]

<SCR1B>          [Up until he/she was 18,] Was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live
                           with (his/her) biological father?

                               <1> Yes
                               <2> No
                               <D>
                               <R>

Probe:             What is this question asking in your own words?
________________________________________________________________________
[Fill bracket if child  is 18 or over.  Otherwise leave blank.]
<SCR1C>     Intro 1:         Now we are interested in periods of three months or more when (child) may have also
                                            lived with other adults. Include times when (he/she) lived with these other adults even if
                                            (his/her) biological mother or father was with (him/her).

                    Intro 2:           We are interested in periods of three months or more when (child) shared a household
                                            with adults other than (his/her) biological mother or father, or adults in additional to
                                            (his/her) biological mother or father.  Please include times in which (child) moved in with
                                            another adult and times when another adult moved in with (child), even if (he/she) was
                                            still living with (his/her) biological mother or father.

                 [Up until he/she was 18,] Was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) lived with:

                    READ CATEGORIES
                    an adoptive mother                 <1> Yes         <2> No
                    an adoptive father                   <1> Yes         <2> No
                    a stepmother                           <1> Yes         <2> No
                    a stepfather                             <1> Yes         <2> No
                    a nonmarital partner of a
                      biological parent                    <1> Yes         <2> No
                    a grandparent                          <1> Yes         <2> No
                    some other adult relative
                      such as an aunt or uncle          <1> Yes         <2> No
                    some other adult non-relative    <1> Yes         <2> No
                    foster care arrangement             <1> Yes         <2> No
                    an institution, boarding school,
                      group home, or hospital           <1> Yes         <2> No

                    Probe: (Re-read question)         What is this question asking in your own words?
                                                                         What do the terms “stepmother” and “stepfather” mean to you?
                                                                         What does the term “a nonmarital partner other than a biological
                                                                                parent” mean to you, if anything?
                                                                        What does the term “some other adult non-relative” mean to you?
                                                                                Could you give me an example of someone who would be in that
                                                                                category?
                                                                        Do you think this question is asking about times that the child went to
                                                                                live with the “X” or times when “X” came to live with the child or
                                                                                both?
                                                                        (For each “yes” ask) Did child go to live with “X” or did “X” come to
                                                                                live with the child?
________________________________________________________________________

CK1.             If stepfather, stepmother, non-marital partner or foster care marked “yes”, go to <SCR1D> for each “yes”
                      response.
                     If stepfather, stepmother, non-marital partner and foster care equal “no,” “D,” or “R” for all responses, go to
                     CK2.
________________________________________________________________________
[Cycle <SCR1D> through <SCR1E> for each “yes” response in <SCR1C@3-@5> and <SCR1C@9>.]
[Fill bracket if child  is 18 or over.  Otherwise leave blank.]
[Fill “live with” if asking about <SCR1C@3-@5>.  Fill “live in” if asking about <SCR1C@9>.]
<SCR1D>     [Up until he/she was 18,] Did (child) (live with/live in) more than one stepmother/stepfather/nonmarital
                      partner of a parent/foster care arrangement)?
                      <1> Yes
                      <2> No (GO TO CK2)
                      <D> (GO TO CK2)
                      <R> (GO TO CK2)

Probe:         Could you tell me more about that?
                    What is this question asking in your own words?
________________________________________________________________________
[Fill bracket if child  is 18 or over.  Otherwise leave blank.]
[Fill “live with” if asking about <SCR1C@3-@5>.  Fill “live in” if asking about <SCR1C@9>.]
<SCR1E>           [Up until he/she was 18,] How many different (stepmothers/stepfathers/nonmarital partners of a
                            parent/foster care arrangements) did (child) (live with/live in)?

                            _____ Number

Probe:                 Could you tell me more about that?
________________________________________________________________________

CK2.     If additional “yes” response in stepfather, stepmother, non-marital partner or foster care, go to <SCR1D> and ask
              for next “yes” response.
            Go to <SCR1A> for next eligible child.
            Otherwise go to CKEND.
________________________________________________________________________
CKEND.     If <SCR1A> and <SCR1B> and <SCR1C@1 - SCR1C@10> equal “2,” “D,” or “R” for all eligible children,
                    residential history is complete for this household.  Go to <MOVE1>.
                    Otherwise go to CKMF.
________________________________________________________________________
CKMF.        Instrument will check mother’s line number and father’s line number for all eligible children in household.
                    Instrument will form “Child Groups” as follows.  Each adopted child is a “Child Group” even though it only
                    contains one child.  Each child age 18 or over at the time of the interview is a “Child Group” even though it only
                    contains one child.  The remaining children are grouped based on whether they share the same biological parents
                    and stepparents (if applicable) within this household.   Children with the same biological parents and step parents
                    (if applicable) in this household are grouped and ordered oldest to youngest.
________________________________________________________________________
CKGRP.      If there is only one child per “Child Group,” go to <GROUPS>.
                    Otherwise go to <ROSTER1>.
________________________________________________________________________
[Cycle <ROSTER1> through <CKOLDER> for children within same group.
[Read bracketed introduction only once per household.]
 

<ROSTER1>       [The next question will help me determine whether your children have always lived together in the
                            same household.  By this  I mean whether they lived in the same household without a separation
                            of three months or more from each other.]

                            Have (name of younger child) and (name of older child) always lived in the same household
                            without a separation of three months or more?

                            <1> Yes (Add this child to older child’s residential history roster)
                            <2> No (GO TO CKOLDER)
                            <D> (GO TO CKOLDER)
                            <R> (GO TO CKOLDER)

Probe:                  What is this question asking in your own words?
________________________________________________________________________

CKOLDER.     If there is an older child in this “Child Group” who is on a separate roster, ask <ROSTER1> to see if this child
                        always lived with that older child.
                        If there is no older child in this “Child Group” on a separate roster, place this child on his/her own roster.  Go
                        to next eligible child in this “Child Group.”
                        If no other children in this “Child Group,” go to next “Child Group.”
                        If no other “Child Group,” display <GROUPS>.
________________________________________________________________________

[Instrument will fill “#”.]
<GROUPS>    FILL IN (#) RESIDENTIAL HISTORY CALENDAR(S) WITH THE FOLLOWING NAME AND
                        DATE OF BIRTH INFORMATION.  ALSO MARK AGE/GRADE ANCHORS ON CALENDAR:

Calendar 1                                                Date of birth
Name of oldest child in group                    {Instrument will fill this data.}
Name of second oldest child
Name of third oldest child
 “
 ”
Name of youngest child

Calendar 2
Name of oldest child in group
Name of second oldest child
Name of third oldest child
 “
 ”
Name of youngest child
 .
 .
 .
Calendar “n”
Name of oldest child in group
Name of second oldest child
Name of third oldest child
 “
 ”
Name of youngest child
________________________________________________________________________

<INTROCAL>
                           SHOW RESIDENTIAL HISTORY CALENDAR

                            This form is something we call the Residential History Calendar.  I’ll use it to help record the
                            times your child(ren) lived either away from you or with you and other adults.  The purpose of
                            filling out this calendar is to help us understand if there are a little or a lot of changes in the
                            situations children live in.  You can see that there are boxes to show each year of your child(ren)’s
                            life.  The lines down the side show the people or situations your child(ren) lived in during those
                            periods.  I’d like you to help me fill out this calendar so that I make sure we don’t miss any
                            changes in your child(ren)’s living situations.

                            ENTER “P” TO PROCEED

                            ==>__
________________________________________________________________________
CKMOM1.         If no separation from biological mother (<SCR1A> =“2,” “D,” “R,”), then go to CKDAD1.
                            Otherwise go to <MOM1> and ask for oldest child on roster.
_______________________________________________________________________
[Cycle <MOM1> through CKOTHAD5 for oldest child on each separate roster.]
[Fill bracketed introduction the first time through this series.  Otherwise leave blank.]

<MOM1>          We are interested in all periods lasting three months or more in which (name of first child on
                            roster) lived apart from (his/her) biological mother.  When did this occur?

                            ENTER ALL PERIODS OF SEPARATION (MONTH NUMBER WITHIN YEAR) IN THE “LIVING
                            APART FROM BIOLOGICAL MOTHER” ROW OF THE CALENDAR.

                              ==>__  ENTER “P” TO PROCEED
Probe:                  How did you come up with your answer?
                            When I said “We are interested in all periods lasting three months or more in which (name) lived
                            apart from (his/her) biological mother,”what does that mean in your own words?
________________________________________________________________________
[If only one separation, fill “this separation.”  If more than one separation, fill “these separations.”]

<MOMSEP>     “Now I’ll enter this information in the computer and ask you a few more questions about the
                            reasons for (this separation/these separations).”

                            ENTER THE MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE BEGINNING AND ENDING DATES OF EACH
                            SEPARATION FROM THE BIOLOGICAL MOTHER.

Instrument edit:     Create a variable containing the total number of separations from the biological mother.

{SCREEN FORMAT TO BE DETERMINED BY DSD AND TMO.}
________________________________________________________________________
[Ask <MOM3> for each period of separation.  Fill month/year information from <MOMSEP>.]

<MOM3>       What caused the [first/next] separation -- that is, the separation between [month/year] and
                        [month/year]?

                        FLASHCARD X
                        MARK AS MANY REASONS AS APPLY
                        READ RESPONSE CATEGORIES IF TELEPHONE INTERVIEW

                         1.  Child on vacation with other relatives or friends
                         2.  Child in summer camp
                         3.  Child in boarding school
                         4.  Child living with other biological parent
                         5.  Child went to live with adoptive parent(s)
                         6.   Marital conflict between parents
                         7.   Parent/guardian on vacation or business trip
                         8.   Physical health problem of child
                         9.   Mental health problem of child
                         10.   Substance abuse problem of child
                         11. Behavior problem of child
                         12.  Physical health problem of parent
                         13.  Mental health problem of parent
                         14.  Substance abuse problem of parent
                         15. Parent jailed/incarcerated
                         16. Financial hardship
                         17. Child removed by government agency (court, child protective services)
                         18. Other reason (specify)_____________________________________
                         D   Don’t Know
                         R   Refused

Probe:             What is this question asking in your own words?
________________________________________________________________________

CKMOMSEP. If additional separation for this child, ask <MOM3> for next period of separation.
If no additional separation, go to CKDAD1.

CKDAD1. If no separation from biological father (<SCR1B> equals 2, D, or R), go to CKOTH1.
If <SCR1B> equals 1, go to <DAD1>.

[If <SCR1A> equals “yes,” fill “also.”  Otherwise leave blank.]

<DAD1> We are (also) interested in all periods lasting three months or more in which (name of oldest child on roster) lived apart from (his/her) biological father.  When did this occur?

ENTER ALL PERIODS OF SEPARATION (MONTH NUMBER WITHIN YEAR) IN THE “LIVING APART FROM BIOLOGICAL FATHER” ROW OF THE CALENDAR.

==>__  ENTER “P” TO PROCEED

Probe: How did you come up with your answer?
________________________________________________________________________
[If only one separation, fill “this separation.”  If more than one separation, fill “these separations.”]
<DADSEP> “Now I’ll enter this information in the computer and ask you a few more questions about the reasons for (this separation/these separations).”

ENTER THE MONTH AND YEAR OF THE BEGINNING AND ENDING DATES OF SEPARATIONS FROM THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER

Instrument edit: Create a variable containing the total number of separations from the biological father.

{SCREEN FORMAT TO BE DETERMINED BY DSD AND TMO}
 

[Fill month and year information from <DADSEP>.]

<DAD3> What caused the [first/next] separation -- that is, the separation between [month/year] and [month/year]?

FLASHCARD X
MARK ALL THAT APPLY
READ CATEGORIES IF TELEPHONE INTERVIEW

1.  Child on vacation with other relatives or friends
 2.  Child in summer camp
 3.  Child in boarding school
 4.  Child living with other biological parent
 5.  Child went to live with adoptive parent
 6.   Marital conflict between parents
 7.   Parent/guardian on vacation or business trip
 8.   Physical health problem of child
 9.   Mental health problem of child
 10.   Substance abuse problem of child
 11. Behavior problem of child
 12.  Physical health problem of parent
 13.  Mental health problem of parent
 14.  Substance abuse problem of parent
 15. Parent jailed/incarcerated
 16. Financial hardship
 17. Child removed by government agency (court, child protective services)
 18. Other reason (specify)_____________________________________
 D   Don’t Know
 R   Refused
________________________________________________________________________
CKMOMSEP.         If additional separation for this child, ask <DAD3> for next period of separation.
                                If no additional separation, go to CKOTH1.
________________________________________________________________________
CKOTH1. If child lived with an “other adult” (any answer in <SCR1C@1> through <SCR1C@10> equals 1), go to <OTHADSCR>.
If child did not live with “other adult” (all answers in <SCR1C@1> through <SCR1C@10> equal 2, D, or R), go to CKMOM1 for next child group.
If no additional child groups, go to <MOVE1>.

<OTHADSCR> FILL FOLLOWING INFORMATION UNDER “LIVING WITH SOMEONE ELSE” ON CALENDAR:

  {INSTRUMENT LISTS “OTHER ADULTS” IDENTIFIED IN <SCR1C@1-@10>}

[Cycle <OTHAD1> through <CKOTHAD5> for each “yes” response in <SCR1C@1-@10>.]

<OTHAD1> When did (Child 1) live  In the case of adopted children, do we want the biological or adoptive mother/father on these lines?
for three months or more in the same household as (adult1)?

ENTER ALL PERIODS OF LIVING WITH THIS “OTHER ADULT” IN THE APPROPRIATE “LIVING WITH SOMEONE ELSE” ROW OF THE CALENDAR.  ENTER THE MONTH NUMBER WITHIN THE YEAR.

 ==>__  ENTER “P” TO PROCEED

Probe: How did you come up with your answer?
What is this question asking in your own words?
Do you think we want you to include times when the child and a biological parent lived with (adult1) or just when the child lived by himself/herself with (adult1)?
 

[If only one separation, fill “this separation.”  If more than one separation, fill “these separations.”]
<OTHADSEP> “Now I’ll enter this information in the computer.”

ENTER THE MONTH AND YEAR OF THE BEGINNING AND ENDING DATES OF LIVING WITH THIS “OTHER ADULT.”

Instrument edit: Cr

 {SCREEN FORMAT TO BE DETERMINED BY DSD AND TMO}
 

[Cycle <OTHAD3> through CKOTHAD5 for each period of living with this “other adult.”]
<OTHAD3> Was (adult1) responsible for most of the basic needs of (name) from  (month/year) to (month/year)?

    <1> Yes
    <2> No

Probe: What do you think this question is asking in your own words?
What does the term “basic needs” mean to you?

<OTHAD4> Did (name) move in with (adult1), did (adult1) move in with name, or did they move together to a new place in (month/year)?
 <1> Child moved
   <2> Adult moved
   <3> Both moved

<OTHAD5> Why did (name) and (adult1) begin living together in (month/year)?

   1.  Child went to live with biological parent
   2.  Child’s illness
   3.  Child in boarding school
   4.  Child placed in foster care
   5.  Child jailed
   6.  Child cared for by friend/relative
   7.  Child got married
   8.  Child out on own/got a job
   9.   Parental illness
   10. Parental financial hardship
   11. Parental work
   12. Parent jailed/institutionalized
   13. Parent moved elsewhere
   14. Mother and father separated/divorced
15. Parent remarried/began living with a nonmarital partner
   16. Parent died
   17. Government agency/court order
   18. Other (specify)_____________________

Probe: What is this question asking in your own words?
 

CKOTHAD5.  If any additional periods of living with this “other adult,” go to <OTHAD3> and ask for next period.
If no additional periods of living with this “other adult,” go to <OTHAD1> and ask for next “yes” response in “other adult” (<SCR1C@1> through <SCR1C@10>).
If no additional “yes” responses in “other adult” (<SCR1C@1> through <SCR1C@10>), go to CKMOM1 for next child group.
If no additional child groups, go to <MOVE1>.
 
 

[Ask <MOVE1> - <MOVE4> for each eligible child beginning with the oldest child.]
[If child is 5 or older, fill “Before (child) began school, that is before age 5,” “did,” and “move.”   If child is less than 5, fill “Since birth,”  “has,” and “moved.” ]
<MOVE1> [Before (he/she) began school, that is, before age 5/Since birth,]  how many times (did/has) (child) (move/moved).  By move, I mean move to a new address, either with or without you  for a period of three months or more.

 _________ Enter number of moves

Probe: How did you come up with your answer?
What is this question asking in your own words?
 

CKMOVE2. If child is 5 or over, ask <MOVE2.>
   If child is under 5, go to <MOVE1> and ask for next eligible child.
If no more eligible children, end interview.

[If child is age 5, fill “since (he/she) turned 5.”  If child is ages 6 to 10, fill “during elementary school, that is, between ages 5 and current age.” If child is age 11 or over, fill “during elementary school, that is, between ages 5 and 11.”]

<MOVE2> How many times did (child) move [since (he/she) turned 5?/during elementary school, that is, between ages 5 and (current age/11)]?

   _________ Enter number of moves

Probe: How did you come up with your answer?
 

CKMOVE3. If child is 12 or over, ask <MOVE3>.
   If child is under 12, go to <MOVE1> and ask for next eligible child.
If no more eligible children, end interview.

[If child is age 12, fill “since (he/she) turned 12?”  If child is age 13, fill “during middle or junior high school, that is, between ages 12 and 13?” If child is age 14 or over, fill “during middle or junior high school, that is, between ages 12 and 14?”]
<MOVE3> How many times did (child) move [since (he/she) turned 12?/during middle or junior high school, that is, between ages 12 and (13/14)?

   __________ Enter number of moves

Probe: How did you come up with your answer?
 

CKMOVE4. If child is 15 or over, ask <MOVE4>.
If child is under 15, go to <MOVE1> and ask for next eligible child.
   If no more eligible children, end interview.

[If child is age 15, fill “since (he/she) turned 15.  If child is age 16 or 17, fill “during high school, that is, between ages 15 and current age.” If child is age 18 or over, fill “during high school, that is, between ages 15 and 18.”]
<MOVE4> And finally, how many times did (child) move [since (he/she) turned 15?/ during high school, that is, between ages 15 and (current age/18)?

   _________ Enter number of moves

Probe: How did you come up with your answer?

CKMOVE5. If additional children in household, go to <MOVE1> and ask for next eligible child.
   If no more eligible children, end interview.
 
 

Probe after completing series on moves:

1. Find out how long child lived at each new address.

2.  Ask hypothetical examples:
“The questions I just asked you were about moves during your child’s life.  And in these questions we defined “move” as “move to a new address, either with or without you.”  Now I’m going to ask you whether you would count the following situations as moves based on your understanding of our definition of move.”

 “If a child lived with his mother during the school year and his father for three months during the summer, would you consider that a move?”

“If a child lived with her grandmother during the week to attend school, and with her parents on the weekends, would you consider that a move?”

“If a child spent every other weekend with his father and the rest of the time with his mother, would you consider that a move?”

“If a child was at boarding school during the school year and at home during the summer, would you consider that a move?”

“If a child moved with his family from one apartment to another in the same building, would you consider that a move?”

“If a child spent two months during the summer with his father, and the rest of the time with his mother, would you consider that a move?”

Respondent debriefing questions

We used this form (the residential history calendar) to record the your (child/children’s) living situation since birth.  What did you think about this form?

Did you look at the form in order to help you remember the dates of your child’s/children’s living situations?

Did the form help you to remember dates when the child did not live with (you/the biological mother/father) or not?

Did the form help you to remember dates when the child lived with “other adults” or not?

Does the form look complicated or intimidating?  Would other people think the form looks complicated or intimidating?

At the top of the form, I wrote down your child’s/children’s ages and grade levels.  Did that information help you to recall the dates of these different events?
Attachment C
Characteristics of Respondents, Their Children, and Other Household Members

Resp. Gender Race Eligible children   Highest Grade Comp. by Resp. Other HH Members 15 + Relationship to Resp. Eligbile children of other HH members 15 +
  Gender Relationship to Resp. Birthdate     Gender Relation-ship to other HH member Birth- date
19191. F  White 1. M 1. Grandson  4/x/90 College 1. M Nonmarital partner 1. M 1. Bio son x/x/80
2. F Black 1. F 1. Bio daug 2. Bio daug2 7/17/97 2/27/90 11/GED 1. F 2. M Mother Father
3. F Black 1. F 1. Bio daug 2. Bio daug 3. Bio daug 5/30/92 1/20/91 2/5/90 11
4. M Black 1. M 2. M 1. Bio son 2. Bio son 9/15/91 11/11/92 12 1. F Spouse

Resp. Gender Race Eligible children   Highest Grade Comp. by Resp. Other HH Members 15 + Relationship to Resp. Eligbile children of other HH members 15 +
  Gender Relationship to Resp. Birthdate     Gender Relation-ship to other HH member
19195. F White 1. M 2. M 3. F 4. M 5. M 1. Bio son 2. Adopted 3. Adopted4 4. Adopted4 5. Adopted4 8/18/80 4/7/88 8/16/89 10/9/90 5/7/92 11 1. M Spouse
6. F White 1. M 2. F 3. F 4. F 1. Bio son 2. Bio daug 3. Bio daug 4. Bio daug2 7/27/92 6/6/95 4/13/81 6/6/79 2 years college 1. M Spouse
7. F White 1. M 2. M 1. Grandson 2. Grandson 10/3/86 12/1/88 MA 1. M Spouse

ATTACHMENT D
Item-by-Item Recommendations

Residential History Question List

1. Tested wording (OTHCHLD1)  (Universe is all persons age 15 or over)
In this section, we would like to ask some questions about the past and present living arrangements of the children of this household.

I have listed the following children born since January 1, 1974 who are living in this household.

 Name   Sex   Birth date  Relationship to Resp

{LIST ALL CHILDREN BORN SINCE JANUARY 1, 1974 WHO ARE LIVING IN THIS HOUSEHOLD.}

(Do you/Does name) have any other biological children who were born since January 1, 1974 and are living somewhere else?

 Recommendations:
Cognitive interviews indicated that respondents understood this question, although a couple of respondents reported children born prior to the reference period.  Both Dr. Belli and I felt that asking this item and the subsequent one on adopted children living outside the household  (OTHCHLD4) of each person age 15 or over in the household (age 18 and over for OTHCHLD4) is verbose and overly burdensome.  We recommend combining the two items:  “Do you have any other adopted or biological children who were born since January 1, 1974 and are living somewhere else?”  We also recommend using a topic-based approach to simplify question reading.  The full question would be asked of the first person age 15 or over in the household followed by “How about (name)?”  This would simplify question reading and speed the interview.

Issues to resolve:
What is the appropriate universe for this item?  In the cognitive interviews we asked this question of all persons age 15 and over.  In some instances, we collected residential history information for persons who have never been a part of this household and for whom we would have no additional information from previous SIPP/SPD interviews.

Are foster children that are currently in the household supposed to be listed on the roster for this item?  What about children who live with a legal guardian?
2.  Tested wording (OTHCHLD2)
   How many other biological children (do you/does name) have?

 Recommendations:
Cognitive interviews indicated that respondents often provide this information when answering the previous question, and this item confused some respondents because they thought it is asking for additional information.  We recommend making this item “READ IF NECESSARY” and allowing Field Representatives (FRs) to fill in the information without reading the question if the relevant information has already been provided previously.

3.  Tested wording (OTHCHLD3)
  What is [the first] child’s name?
   ASK IF NECESSARY:  What is [his/her] sex?
When was  [she/he] born?

 Recommendations:
Some respondents did not hear the reference period in item 1 (OTHCHLD1) and reported children born prior to the January 1, 1974.  FRs will need to be trained what to do if the child being added was born before January 1, 1974 (e.g. back up and correct previous screen).

Consider revising the wording of the last item from “When was (he/she) born?” to “What is (his/her) date of birth?”  This suggestion is not based on cognitive testing, but I believe that the latter indicates that we want month/date/year information better than the former.

4.  Tested wording (OTHCHLD4) (Universe is all persons age 18 or over in household)
 (Do you/Does name) have any adopted children who were born since January 1, 1974 and are living somewhere else?

 Recommendations:
See recommendation for item 1 above (OTHCHLD1).

5.  Tested wording (OTHCHLD5 and OTHCHLD6)
How many adopted children living elsewhere (do you/does name) have?
   What is [the first] child’s name?
   ASK IF NECESSARY:  What is [his/her] sex?
When was  [she/he] born?

 Recommendations:
See recommendations for items 2 and 3 above.
 6.  Tested wording (SCR1A)
 [Up until he/she was 18,] Was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live with (his/her) biological mother?

 Recommendations:
In the instrument that was cognitively tested, this item and the two that followed it (SCR1B and SCR1C) were used as data collection items.  That is, we used them to determine whether a child ever lived apart from the biological mother or father, whether a child ever lived with “other adults,” and with which “other adults” a child lived.  Our recommendation is to use this item and the next two items (SCR1B and SCR1C) as screening questions to determine whether a child is eligible to be included on a residential history calendar (RHC), rather than as data collection items.  Once a child is determined to be eligible for the RHC, do not ask the remaining screening questions.  Most children will be identified by SCR1A and SCR1B and will not need to be asked SCR1C, which will shorten the interview.  (Data for all items will be collected later when filling out the RHC.)

Train FRs on the objective of this question (and the two subsequent screening items–SCR1B and SCR1C).  This is important since there is evidence from the cognitive interviews that some respondents misunderstood this question (and the comparable item on separations from the biological father) particularly when the child either never lived with the biological mother/father or lived with her/him for less than three months.

There is evidence from the cognitive interviews that some respondents thought the questions were asking only about more recent living arrangements, rather than the child’s entire lifetime.  I recommend emphasizing that the questions pertain to the child’s entire life and suggest revising the wording as follows:  “From the time (he/she) was born until (now/age 18), was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live with (his/her) biological mother?”

7.  Tested wording (SCR1B)
[Up until he/she was 18,] Was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live with (his/her) biological father?

 Recommendations:
See recommendation for item 6 above.  Suggested wording is as follows:  “From the time (he/she) was born until (now/age 18), was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live with (his/her) biological father?”

8.  Tested wording (SCR1C)
 We are interested in periods of three months or more when (child) shared a household with adults other than (his/her) biological mother or father, or adults in addition to (his/her) biological mother or father.  Please include times in which (child) moved in with another adult and times when another adult moved in with (child), even if (he/she) was still living with (his/her) biological mother or father.

[Up until he/she was 18,] Was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) shared a household with:

  1. An adoptive mother      Yes No
  2. An adoptive father      Yes No
  3. A stepmother       Yes No
  4. A stepfather       Yes No
  5. A nonmarital partner of a biological parent   Yes No
  6. A grandparent       Yes No
  7. Some other adult relative such as an aunt or uncle  Yes No
  8. Some other adult non-relative      Yes No
  9. Foster care arrangement      Yes No
  10. An institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital Yes  No

 Recommendations:
See recommendations for items 6 and 7 above.  If our recommendation to use SCR1A, SCR1B, and SCR1C as screening items is  followed, only children who have always lived with their biological mother and biological father will be asked this item.  (Children who have been separated from their biological mother or father would already be eligible for inclusion on a RHC and would not be asked this question, although data for this item would be collected later when filling out the RHC.)  Therefore, there is no need to include the categories “adoptive mother,” “adoptive father,” and “foster care arrangement,” since children who have always lived with both biological parents would not have lived in these situations.   We retained the categories “stepmother,” “stepfather,” and “a boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent” (previously listed as a “nonmarital partner of a biological parent”) since these may apply in joint custody situations in which children continue living part time with both biological parents and the biological parents form new unions.

We suggest using the following two questions as screening items.  Note that the first item below would be answered with a blanket “yes”  or “no,”  rather than with answers for each category as was done during cognitive testing since this item is being used only to screen whether the child should be included on the RHC.  It is not being used to identify the “other adults” with whom the child has lived, rather it is used to determine whether the child has lived with anyone in addition to his/her biological parents.

 “Have any of the following people ever lived in the same household with (child) for three months or more?”

SHOW FLASHCARD

  1. A grandmother
  2. A grandfather
  3. A stepmother
  4. A stepfather
  5. A girlfriend/boyfriend of a biological parent
  6. Some other adult relative such as an aunt or uncle
  7. Some other adult non-relative

  <1>   Yes
  <2>   No

“Has (child) ever lived for three months or more in an institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital?”

  <1>  Yes
  <2>  No

Cognitive testing indicated that many respondents thought that SCR1C was asking if the child ever went to live with the “other adult.”  The revised wording of the first question above asks whether the “other adult” ever shared a household with child, which will hopefully reduce respondent misunderstanding.   The latter question on living in an institution or boarding school is included since it is possible a parent might consider the child as always living with the biological mother and biological father even if the child attended boarding school.

 Issues to resolve:
Dr. Belli’s report questioned whether adult siblings should be included in the category “some other adult relative such as an aunt or uncle.”  If our recommendation to use SCR1A, SCR1B and SCR1C as screening items is followed and only persons who have lived with both biological parents are asked SCR1C, then I suggest not including adult siblings as “some other adult relative” at this point in the interview since the adult siblings are not likely responsible for the child’s basic needs.  If the child is not living with both biological parents, then the adult sibling could be responsible for the child’s basic needs and should be considered as “some other adult relative.”  We would collect this information later in the interview when filling out the RHC.

Dr. Belli noted that two of his respondents reported “housemates” as “other adult.”  How should housemates be treated?

9.  Tested wording (SCR1D)
 [Up until he/she was 18,] Did (child) (live with/live in) more than one (stepmother/stepfather/nonmarital partner of a parent/foster care arrangement)?

 Recommendation:
Ask question later when filling out the RHC.

10. Tested wording (SCR1E)
[Up until he/she was 18,] How many different (stepmothers/stepfathers/nonmarital partners of a parent/foster care arrangements) did (child) (live with/live in)?

Recommendation:
Ask question later when filling out the RHC.

11. Tested wording (ROSTER1)
 [The next question will help me determine whether your children have always lived together in the same household.  By this  I mean whether they lived in the same household without a separation of three months or more from each other.]

Have (name of younger child) and (name of older child) always lived in the same household without a separation of three months or more?

 Recommendation:
  Keep wording as is.

 Issues to resolve:
We need clarification regarding the check item preceding this question (CKMF).  That check item determines which children are grouped together within the household and are potentially eligible to be placed on the same residential history calendar.  The check item looks at the mother’s and father’s line numbers for each eligible child.  Children who share the same biological parents and step parents (if applicable) are grouped together.  If they have always lived together (based on the answer to ROSTER1), they are placed on the same RHC.  This procedure works well if both biological parents are in the household.  If, however, there is only one biological parent in the household -- the mother, for example -- we do not know if the children share the same biological father and there is no question regarding this in the instrument.  Therefore, it is not possible to group these children in the current instrument as was the case for respondent #3 in Attachment C who was a single mother with three biological daughters by the same father.  The same is true if there are no biological parents in the household as was the case for respondent #7 in Attachment C who is the grandmother raising her two grandsons who have always lived together and respondent #5 who is a grandparent and adoptive mother of four of her grandchildren.  The children in respondent #3 and #7's homes had always lived together and could have been grouped on the same RHC, but due to the constraints of the check item, were included on separate calendars which lengthened the interview and increased respondent burden unnecessarily.  Respondent #5's four adoptive children could have been grouped on two calendars instead of four.  Consideration should be given to revising the rules for grouping children so that children who have always lived together can be placed on the same RHC regardless of whether both biological parents are in the household.

12. Tested wording (INTROCAL)
This form is something we call the Residential History Calendar.  I’ll use it to help record the times your child(ren) lived either away from you or with you and other adults.  The purpose of filling out this calendar is to help us understand if there are a little or a lot of changes in the situations children live in.  You can see that there are boxes to show each year of your child(ren)’s life.  The lines down the side show the people or situations your child(ren) lived in during those periods.  I’d like you to help me fill out this calendar so that I make sure we don’t miss any changes in your child(ren)’s living situations.

 Recommendation:
The introduction needs to be modified to reflect that respondents are not always the biological parents of the children and to emphasize that the interest is to gain the periods of time when children were living apart from biological parents for three moths or more, or with other adults for three months or more.  Suggested wording is shown below:

“This form is something we call the Residential History Calendar.  I’ll use it to record times your child(ren) lived away from a biological parent for three months or more and times when your child(ren) lived with other adults for three months or more.  The purpose of filling out this calendar is to help us understand if there are a little or a lot of changes in the situations children live in.  You can see that there are boxes on the top to show each year of your child(ren)’s life.  The lines down the side show the people or situations your child(ren) lived in during those periods.  I’d like you to help me fill out this calendar so that I make sure we don’t miss any changes in your child(ren)’s living situations.”

Train FRs that they may need to modify the reference to “your children” in the above paragraph if the children are not the respondent’s own children (e.g. foster children, grandchildren, guardian of children).

13. Tested wording (MOM1)
 We are interested in all periods lasting three months or more in which (name of first child on roster) lived apart from (his/her) biological mother.  When did this occur?

Recommendations:
 Train FRs regarding the objectives of the RHC and how to collect periods of time when the child lived away from a biological parent and times when the child lived with “other adults” using flexible interviewing techniques.  Include suggested question wording for MOM1, DAD1, and SCR1C/OTHAD1 on the computer screen.  Ask questions about  periods of separations from the biological mother and biological father, which “other adults” with whom the child lived, and periods of living with “other adults” for the oldest child on each RHC.  Allow FRs and respondents to fill out the RHC with the relevant information in the order that best suits the situation.  Retain the tested question wording for MOM1 and DAD1.

Evidence from the cognitive interviews indicates that respondents often provide beginning dates for separations but not end dates.  Train FRs to probe for end dates of periods of separation.  Also, train FRs what to enter on the RHC if the respondent is unable to provide the month and year of the beginning or ending date of an event (e.g. “first quarter of 1984,” or “sometime during 1984").

On the top rows of the RHC, the FR will mark the child’s age at annual intervals under the appropriate year.  Train FR’s that the child is age 1, for example, from the time he/she turns 1 until the following year when he/she turns 2 and to be sure to probe for the appropriate year when entering data for an event that happened when the child was age 1 to make sure that the month of the event does not end up in the wrong year.

14. Tested wording (MOM3)
 What caused the [first/next] separation -- that is, the separation between [month/year] and [month/year]?

  SHOW FLASHCARD
MARK AS MANY REASONS AS APPLY
READ RESPONSE CATEGORIES IF TELEPHONE INTERVIEW

  1.  Child on vacation with other relatives or friends
  2.  Child in summer camp
  3.  Child in boarding school
  4.  Child living with other biological parent
  5.  Child went to live with adoptive parent(s)
  6.   Marital conflict between parents
  7.   Parent/guardian on vacation or business trip
  8.   Physical health problem of child
  9.   Mental health problem of child
  10.   Substance abuse problem of child
  11. Behavior problem of child
  12.  Physical health problem of parent
  13.  Mental health problem of parent
  14.  Substance abuse problem of parent
  15. Parent jailed/incarcerated
  16. Financial hardship
  17. Child removed by government agency (court, child protective services)
  18. Other reason (specify)_____________________________________

 Recommendations:
Ask this question after the entire RHC has been filled out including time periods separated from biological parents and time periods living with “other adults.”

Specify in the question that we are asking about separations from the biological mother. Modify the question wording if there is only one separation to read:  “What caused the separation between (child) and [you/ (his/her) biological mother] from (month/year) to (month/year)?”  If more than one separation, read:  “What caused the (first/second/etc.) separation between (child) and [you / (his/her) biological mother] from (month/year) to (month/year)?”

Retain the use of the flashcard for this item, but simplify it to include those categories of most interest to analysts.  There are too many response options to be read over the phone. If the number of response options is not reduced, do not require FRs to read the categories over the phone.  Allow them to be read at the FR’s discretion if the respondent has difficulty understanding the intent of the question.  Change response option 4 to “child and other biological parent began living together” to avoid the interpretation that the child is currently living with the other biological parent.   Change response option 6 to “conflict between parents” so that it will apply to unmarried biological parents who do not co-reside.

Issues to resolve:
This question is a “mark all that apply.”  If the reason a child and a biological parent were separated changed over time, should only the initial reason(s) be listed or all reasons over the entire time of the separation?

15. Tested wording (DAD1)
We are (also) interested in all periods lasting three months or more in which (name of oldest child on roster) lived apart from (his/her) biological father.  When did this occur?

 Recommendations:
See recommendation for item 13 above.

16. Tested wording (DAD3)
What caused the [first/next] separation -- that is, the separation between [month/year] and [month/year]?

 Recommendation:
See recommendation for item 14 above.

17. Tested wording (OTHAD1)
When did (Child) live for three months or more in the same household as (adult1)?

Recommendation:
If the recommendation to use SCR1A, SCR1B and SCR1C as screening questions is followed, we will need to determine with which “other adults” the child has lived, followed by questions regarding when the child lived with the “other adults.”  The “other adults” should be listed on a flashcard and the FR should make it clear to the respondent that we are interested in all other adults the child lived with regardless of whether a biological parent was present.  Cognitive interviews indicated that some respondents thought the questions on “other adults” were asking about persons other than themselves with whom the child has lived. FRs should be aware that the “other adult” may, in fact, be the respondent and/or other persons who are living or have lived in the household.

Based on results from the cognitive interviews, we also recommend separating the category “grandparent” into “grandmother” and “grandfather.”   We also recommend revising the wording “nonmarital partner of a biological parent” to “a boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent” since some respondents did not understand the former term. Suggested question wording is shown below:

“Now we would like to know whether (child) shared a household. with any of the following people listed on this flashcard for a period of three months or more.  This includes both times that (child) lived with these people by (himself/herself) and times that (he/she) lived with these people and a biological parent.”

  SHOW FLASHCARD
  1. An adoptive mother
  2. An adoptive father
  3. A stepmother
  4. A stepfather
  5. A grandmother
  6. A grandfather
  7. A boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent
  8. Some other adult relative such as an aunt or uncle
  9. Some other adult non-relative
  10. Foster care arrangement
  11. An institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital
 

Instruct FRs to list all “other adults” with whom the child has lived on the RHC writing the “roles”  under the section labeled “living with someone else.”  Train FRs to probe regarding more than one stepmother, stepfather, boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent, and foster care arrangement using a separate line on the calendar for each person/arrangement.

Train FRs on the objective of the question; that is, we are interested in “other adults” the child has lived with for a period of three months or more regardless of whether a biological parent was present.  Moreover, these “other adults” may, in fact, be the respondent himself/herself or other current or previous household members.  Make FRs aware that some respondents think we are asking about persons other than themselves with whom the child lived and to probe respondents appropriately or provide additional feedback as necessary if the question is misunderstood.

Once all “other adults” the child has lived with have been identified, ask the following question for each “other adult” listed on the calendar:

“When did (child) and (adult 1) live in the same household for a period of three months or more?”

After collecting all the information about periods spent living with other adults on the RHC, the FR would input the data from the calendar into the automated instrument.  This includes the periods spent living away from the biological mother and father and the periods spent living with other adults.  Follow-up questions regarding reasons for separation from the biological mother and father would be included in the automated instrument and completed as the interviewer inputs the data on periods of separation.  The same procedure would be done for the follow-up questions on living with other adults.

 Issues to resolve:
POP division needs to decide how to handle persons who fill multiple roles.  In the current instrument, each role the person fills is recorded as a separate line on the RHC and there is no way to determine the number of different persons with whom a child has lived since we don’t know if any one person filled more than one role.  In his report, Dr. Belli suggests having the FR keep track of who served more than one role on the RHC.  When entering this information into the computerized instrument, he suggests entering the total number of lines filled out on the RHC under “living with someone else,” how many persons served multiple roles, and for each multiple-roled person, which lines were entered.  FRs need instruction on how to collect time spent living with multiple-roled persons since evidence from cognitive interviews indicates that some respondents report time spent living with the multiple-roled person in terms of the person rather than the role, some report using the role, and other report using both methods in the same interview.

POP division also needs to decide how the follow-up questions for “other adults” (OTHAD3, OTHAD4, and OTHAD5) will be completed for multiple-roled persons.  Do these need to be asked for each role the person filled or can they be asked only once per person?

18. Tested wording (OTHAD3)
 Was (adult1) responsible for most of the basic needs of (name) from (month/year) to (month/year)?

 Recommendation:
Respondents had the same basic understanding of “basic needs,” but they differed regarding what it meant to be “responsible for most of the basic needs.”  If the intent of the question is to determine financial responsibility for the child, include the word “financially” before the word “responsible” in the question.  FRs need instruction on how to complete the item if the person was responsible for most of the basic needs of the child for part of the time period in question but not for all of it.

19. Tested wording (OTHAD4)
Did (name) move in with (adult1), did (adult1) move in with (name), or did they move together to a new place in (month/year).

 Recommendation:
Add two response options, one for children who are born into a household in which another adult already resides, and a second for no move.  This latter category applies when a person’s role changes within the household, but no move occurs.  The question also needs to emphasize that we are interested in the initial “move” associated with the child and other adult living together.  Suggested wording is shown below:

 “When (child) and (adult 1) started living together in (month/year), did (child) move in with (adult 1), did (adult 1) move in with (child), or did they move together to a new place?”

  <1>  Child moved/Child born into household
  <2>  Adult moved
  <3>  Moved together to a new place
  <4>  No move occurred (adult’s role changed)

This question should automatically be plugged for the categories “foster care arrangement” and “institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital” since the child would logically be the one doing the moving.

20. Tested wording (OTHAD5)
Why did (name) and (adult 1) begin living together in (month/year)?

   1.  Child went to live with biological parent
   2.  Child’s illness
   3.  Child in boarding school
   4.  Child placed in foster care
   5.  Child jailed
   6.  Child cared for by friend/relative
   7.  Child got married
   8.  Child out on own/got a job
   9.   Parental illness
   10. Parental financial hardship
   11. Parental work
   12. Parent jailed/institutionalized
   13. Parent moved elsewhere
   14. Mother and father separated/divorced
15. Parent remarried/began living with a nonmarital partner
   16. Parent died
   17. Government agency/court order
   18. Other (specify)_____________________

 Recommendation:
Add an option for a child who is born into a household in which another adult already resides.  Present the response options for this question in a flashcard to make it consistent with the questions on reasons for separation from the biological mother/father.  Thought should be given to reducing the number of response options so that respondents can easily read them.   If these items are included on a flashcard and the number of response options is not reduced, do not require FRs to read the response options on the phone.   Allow them to be read at the FR’s discretion if the respondent has difficulty understanding the intent of the question.

 Issues to resolve:
Children sometimes live with “other adults” because that is where one or more of their biological parents is living.  Responses to this question during the cognitive interviews included “because that’s where I was living” and “because that’s where his mom was living.”  How does POP want to handle this type of situation?  Should FRs probe to find out why the parent is living with the “other adult” in these situations (e.g. parental financial hardship or parent had no where else to stay)?

Additionally, the response options listed in this question are similar to those contained in the question on reasons for separation from the biological mother/father.  They were developed with the perception that the child went to live with the “other adult” and do not adequately account for situations in which the “other adult” came to live with the child  (e.g. the child’s grandmother moved in because she needs care).

The question wording for this item needs to be modified for “foster care arrangement” and “an institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital” as follows:  “Why did (child) begin living in (a foster care arrangement/an institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital) in (month/year)?”

Modifications to  the Residential History Calendar (RHC)

Based on comments from respondents, we recommend making the following modifications to the RHC:

1.  Delete the bold lines between the years.
2.  Take out the small numbers in the boxes for the “living with someone else” section.  Make better use of shading to differentiate the rows in this section of the questionnaire.
3.  Make the calendar larger if possible.
4.  Put the child’s birth date under the appropriate year where the age would go.  Fill the remaining boxes with the child’s age as appropriate.  Allow FRs to enter the child’s grade at their discretion and suggest writing in only selected grades, such as first grade and possibly the child’s current grade.  (Respondents tended to rely more on the child’s age when answering the residential history questions, but some respondents did find the grade helpful.)
5.  Use pencil to fill out the calendar so changes can be made easily.

Questions on Moves During the Child’s Lifetime

1.  Tested wording (MOVE1)
Before (he/she) began school, that is, before age 5, how many time did (child) move.  By move, I mean move to a new address either with or without you for a period of three months or more.   [Since birth, how many times has (chid) moved.  By move, I mean to move to a new address, either with or without you for a period of three months or more.]

 Recommendation:
CSMR’s testing indicated  that asking these questions on moves by aggregated ages results in some double counting.  Without using a calendar to collect such information, there is no easy way to rectify this.  Train FRs to listen for double counted moves and to probe respondents as needed for clarification.

The phrase “with or without you” will have different meaning depending on who the respondent is.  Change “you” to “a biological parent” if that is the intention of the phrase.
There is some indication that the reference to “before (he/she) began school” is not helpful in this question, although this was not supported in the Belli interviews.  I suggest using the following wording:

“How many times did (child) move before age 5.  By “move,” I mean to move to a new address either with or without a biological parent for a period of three months or more.”
 

2.  Tested wording (MOVE2)
How many times did (child) move during elementary school, that is, between ages 5 and (11/current age)? [How many times did (child) move since (he/she) turned 5?]

 Recommendation:
Retain question as is.

3. Tested wording (MOVE3)
How many times did (child) move during middle or junior high school, that is, between ages 12 and 13/14? [How many time did (child) move since (he/she) turned 12?]

 Recommendation:
Retain question as is.

4.  Tested wording (MOVE4)
And finally, how many times did (child) move during high school, that is, between ages 15 and current age/18?  [And finally, how many times did (child) move since (he/she) turned 15?]

 Recommendation:
Retain question as is.

ATTACHMENT E
Draft Questionnaire Based on Recommendations

Below is a draft questionnaire based on the recommendations put forth in Attachment D.  This draft is included to provide the flow of the recommended instrument.  It does not address all issues raised in Attachment D since that requires additional input from POP division.

1.  (Ask question 1 for each person age 15 or over in household–or for each eligible adult as defined by POP division.)
Do you have any other adopted or biological children who were born since January 1, 1974 and are living somewhere else?

 <1> Yes
  <2> No

 For other household members age 15 or over:  How about (name)?
       <1> Yes
       <2> No

2.  (Ask questions 2 and 3 for each person with children outside household.)
  READ IF NECESSARY
  How many other biological children (do you/does name) have?

3.  What is [the first] child’s name?
  ASK IF NECESSARY:  What is [his/her] sex?
 What is (his/her) date of birth?

4.  (Ask screening questions 4-7 for each eligible child.  Once a child is determined to be eligible for the residential history calendar (RHC), stop asking the screening questions for this child and go on to the next child.)
From the time (he/she) was born until (now/age 18), was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live with (his/her) biological mother?

  <1> Yes (Child eligible for RHC.  Ask question 4 for next child.)
  <2> No (Ask question 5)

5.  From the time (he/she) was born until (now/age 18), was there ever a period of three months or more when (child) did not live with (his/her) biological father?

 <1> Yes (Child eligible for RHC.  Ask question 4 for next child.)
  <2> No (Ask question 6)

6.  Have any of the following people ever lived in the same household with (child) for three months or more?

 SHOW FLASHCARD
  1. A grandmother
  2. A grandfather
  3. A stepmother
  4. A stepfather
  5. A boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent
  6. Some other adult relative such as an aunt or uncle
  7. Some other adult non-relative

  <1>   Yes (Child eligible for RHC. Ask question 4 for next child)
  <2>   No (Ask question 7)

7.  Has (child) ever lived for three months or more in an institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital?

  <1>  Yes (Child eligible for RHC. Ask question 4 for next child.)
  <2>  No (Child not eligible for RHC. Ask question 4 for next child.)

8.  (Ask question 8 for all eligible children. POP needs to determine guidelines for “grouping” children.)
[The next question will help me determine whether your children have always lived together in the same household.  By this  I mean whether they lived in the same household without a separation of three months or more from each other.]

Have (name of younger child) and (name of older child) always lived in the same household without a separation of three months or more?
  <1> Yes  (Place younger child on older child’s roster)
  <2> No (If there is an older child in this child group on a separate roster, ask whether this child has always lived with that older child.  If no older child in this group, place this child on a separate roster.)

9.  This form is something we call the Residential History Calendar.  I’ll use it to record times your child(ren) lived away from a biological parent for three months or more and times when your child(ren) lived with other adults for three months or more.  The purpose of filling out this calendar is to help us understand if there are a little or a lot of changes in the situations children live in.  You can see that there are boxes on the top to show each year of your child(ren)’s life.  The lines down the side show the people or situations your child(ren) lived in during those periods.  I’d like you to help me fill out this calendar so that I make sure we don’t miss any changes in your child(ren)’s living situations.
10.  (FR and respondent fill out calendar using flexible interviewing.  Suggested question wording for collecting information appear below.  There is no data entry for these items.)

 Living apart from biological mother:
We are interested in all periods lasting three months or more in which (name of first child on roster) lived apart from (his/her) biological mother.  When did this occur?

 Living apart from biological father:
We are interested in all periods lasting three months or more in which (name of oldest child on roster) lived apart from (his/her) biological father.  When did this occur?

 Living with someone else:
Now we would like to know whether (child) shared a household with any of the following people listed on this flashcard for a period of three months or more.  This includes both times that (child) lived with these people by (himself/herself) and times that (he/she) lived with these people and a biological parent.

SHOW FLASHCARD AND FILL IN PERSONS CHILD LIVED WITH UNDER “LIVING WITH SOMEONE ELSE” ON RHC
 1. An adoptive mother
 2. An adoptive father
 3. A stepmother
 4. A stepfather
 5. A grandmother
 6. A grandfather
 7. A boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent
 8. Some other adult relative such as an aunt or uncle
 9. Some other adult non-relative
 10. Foster care arrangement
 11. An institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital

(Train FRs to probe whether the child lived with more than one stepmother, stepfather, boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent, and foster care arrangement.  POP division will need to determine how to deal with persons who serve multiple roles and train FRs for this as well.)

 (Ask for each person/role listed under “living with someone else” on RHC.)
When did (child) and (adult 1) live in the same household for a period of three months or more?

11.  (Once RHC has been completely filled out, begin entering data in the automated instrument and asking follow-up questions regarding periods of separation.  This can be done interactively with the respondent reading back information on the RHC while the FR enters it into the computer.)

ENTER NUMBER OF SEPARATIONS FROM BIOLOGICAL MOTHER

 ==>__

ENTER THE MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE BEGINNING AND ENDING DATES OF EACH SEPARATION FROM THE BIOLOGICAL MOTHER
     From Month/Year  To Month/Year
 First separation:

 Second separation:
       .
                  .
                  .
 Nth separation:

12.  (Ask the following question for each period of separation from the biological mother.  Leave the first fill blank if there is only one separation.  Simplify flashcard if possible.)
What caused the (    /first/second/third) separation between (child) and [you/ (his/her) biological mother] from (month/year) to (month/year)?”

 SHOW FLASHCARD
  1.  Child on vacation with other relatives or friends
  2.  Child in summer camp
  3.  Child in boarding school
  4.  Child and other biological parent began to live together
  5.  Child went to live with adoptive parent(s)
  6.   Conflict between parents
  7.   Parent/guardian on vacation or business trip
  8.   Physical health problem of child
  9.   Mental health problem of child
  10.  Substance abuse problem of child
  11. Behavior problem of child
  12.  Physical health problem of parent
  13.  Mental health problem of parent
  14.  Substance abuse problem of parent
  15. Parent jailed/incarcerated
  16. Financial hardship
  17. Child removed by government agency (court, child protective services)
  18. Other reason (specify)_____________________________________

13.  ENTER NUMBER OF SEPARATIONS FROM BIOLOGICAL FATHER

 ==>__

ENTER THE MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE BEGINNING AND ENDING DATES OF EACH SEPARATION FROM THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER
     From Month/Year  To Month/Year
 First separation:

 Second separation:
       .
                  .
                  .
 Nth separation:

14.  (Ask the following question for each period of separation from the biological father.  Leave the first fill blank if there is only one separation.  Simplify flashcard if possible.)
What caused the (    /first/second/third) separation between (child) and [you/ (his/her) biological father] from (month/year) to (month/year)?”

 SHOW FLASHCARD

  1.  Child on vacation with other relatives or friends
  2.  Child in summer camp
  3.  Child in boarding school
  4.  Child and other biological parent began to live together
  5.  Child went to live with adoptive parent(s)
  6.   Conflict between parents
  7.   Parent/guardian on vacation or business trip
  8.   Physical health problem of child
  9.   Mental health problem of child
  10.  Substance abuse problem of child
  11. Behavior problem of child
  12.  Physical health problem of parent
  13.  Mental health problem of parent
  14.  Substance abuse problem of parent
  15. Parent jailed/incarcerated
  16. Financial hardship
  17. Child removed by government agency (court, child protective services)
  18. Other reason (specify)_____________________________________
 

15.  (The same type of procedure would be used to fill out information on “other adults.”  POP division will need to decide how to handle data for persons who serve multiple roles.  The data entry screens below do not account for this, but can be modified to accommodate this.)

ENTER TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES FILLED OUT ON RHC UNDER “LIVING WITH SOMEONE ELSE”

 ==>__

 ENTER ROLES FROM RHC
 1. An adoptive mother
 2. An adoptive father
 3. A stepmother
 4. A stepfather
 5. A grandmother
 6. A grandfather
 7. A boyfriend/girlfriend of a biological parent
 8. Some other adult relative such as an aunt or uncle
 9. Some other adult non-relative
 10. Foster care arrangement
 11. An institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital

 Line 1: ____
 Line 2: ____
   .
   .
   .
 Line 15:  ____

ENTER NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TIMES CHILD LIVED WITH (FILL ROLE FROM LINE 1) FROM RHC:

 ==>__
 

ENTER THE MONTH AND YEAR FOR THE BEGINNING AND ENDING DATES OF LIVING WITH (FILL ROLE FROM LINE 1):
      From Month/Year  To Month/Year
 First period together:

 Second period together:
  .
 Nth period together:

16. Was (fill role) responsible for most of the basic needs of (name) from (month/year) to (month/year)?

 <1> Yes
 <2> No

17. When (child) and (fill role) started living together in (month/year), did (child) move in with (fill role), did (fill role) move in with (child), or did they move together to a new place?

 <1>  Child moved/Child born into household
 <2>  Adult moved
 <3>  Moved together to a new place
 <4>  No move occurred (adult’s role changed)
 
 

18. Why did (name) and (fill role) begin living together in (month/year)? [Why did (child) begin living in (a foster care arrangement/an institution, boarding school, group home, or hospital) in (month/year)?]

 SHOW FLASHCARD

 1.  Child born into household
 2.  Child went to live with biological parent
 3.  Child’s illness
 4.  Child in boarding school
 5.  Child placed in foster care
 6.  Child jailed
 7.  Child cared for by friend/relative
 8.  Child got married
 9.  Child out on own/got a job
 10.   Parental illness
 11. Parental financial hardship
 12. Parental work
 13. Parent jailed/institutionalized
 14. Parent moved elsewhere
 15. Mother and father separated/divorced
16. Parent remarried/began living with a nonmarital partner
 17. Parent died
 18. Government agency/court order
 19. Other (specify)_____________________

(Cycle back and ask series for the next line number under “living with someone else.”  Complete the RHC and associated data entry for all eligible children before asking questions on moves shown below. )
(Reduce the number of response options on the flashcard if possible.)

Questions on Moves During Child’s Lifetime

(Ask series for each eligible child.)
1.  How many times did (child) move before age 5.  By “move,” I mean to move to a new address either with or without a biological parent for a period of three months or more.     [Since birth, how many times has (chid) moved.  By move, I mean to move to a new address, either with or without you for a period of three months or more.]

 ==>_____

2.  How many times did (child) move during elementary school, that is, between ages 5 and (11/current age)? [How many times did (child) move since (he/she) turned 5?]

3.  How many times did (child) move during middle or junior high school, that is, between ages 12 and 13/14? [How many time did (child) move since (he/she) turned 12?]

4.  And finally, how many times did (child) move during high school, that is, between ages 15 and current age/18?  [And finally, how many times did (child) move since (he/she) turned 15?]

SPD Working Papers

SPD Publications

Contact: (dsd.survey.program.dyanmics@census.gov)
URL: http://www.spd.census.gov/SPD/

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