Australian Temperament Project (ATP)
Synopsis
The Australian Temperament Project (ATP) is one of longest running studies of social and emotional development in Australia. The study is based on a representative sample of over 2000 Australian children born in the state of Victoria, between September 1982 and January 1983. Since then, parents (Generation 1) and their offspring (Generation 2) have been followed for over 30 years (15 waves) across childhood, adolescence and into adult life.
The ATP Generation 3 Study builds on the foundations of the ATP by following over 1000 cohort offspring (Generation 3) from late pregnancy to 4 years of age (5 waves). The study assesses parental emotional health, the parent-child relationship (including observational assessments of infant attachment and parental caregiving behaviour), and offspring social and emotional development. The study has also been set-up to study biological (epigenetic) processes linking generations.
Summary
| Study name | Australian Temperament Project |
| Study abbreviation | ATP |
| Current principal investigator/s | Professor Craig Olsson – ATP Scientific Director |
| Current project manager | Dr Primrose Letcher |
| Cohort representative (study contact) | Prof Craig Olsson |
| Postal address | Australian Temperament Project, Level 2 West, Department of Paediatrics, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville Victoria, 3052 |
| Phone | +613 9345 4129 |
| craig.olsson@rch.org.au | |
| Primary Institution | The Royal Children’s Hospital (The Department of Paediatrics) |
| Collaborating Institution/s | Murdoch Childrens Research Institute; University of Melbourne; Deakin University; Australian Institute of Family Studies; LaTrobe University |
| Major funding sources | National Health and Medical Research Council; Australian Research Council; Murdoch Childrens Research Institute; R.E. Ross Trust; Crime Prevention Victoria; RACV; TAC |
| Study website | www.melbournechildrens.com/atp |
| Key reference |
Vassallo, S. and Sanson, A. (Eds.). (2013). The Australian Temperament Project: The first 30 years. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. aifs.gov.au/research/research-reports/australian-temperament-project |
| Are data available outside study team? | All data requests to be submitted through ATP Publications team. Occasionally we work with external collaborators to study a particular issue. ATP team members remain closely involved and only de-identified data is provided |
| Study focus | Young people’s psychosocial development from infancy to adulthood, investigating the contribution of individual (including temperament and behaviour), family, peer and broader environmental factors to adjustment and wellbeing |
| Sampling frame | Families with a 4-8 month old child who attended local urban or rural maternal and child health centres in one of twenty LGA areas in Victoria between 22nd April and 6th of May 1983 |
| Year commenced | 1983 |
| Eligible sample | 2443 |
| Annual attrition rate | 0.01 |
| Intergenerational? | Yes, 3 generations |
| Imaging | No |
| Linkage | No |
| Biosamples? | Buccal (generation 2) |
| Ethics approvals or requirements? | This project only (Specific consent) Future research related to this project (Extended consent) |
Waves
| Wave | Year | Age (mean, range) | Eligible sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1983 | 4-8 months | 2443 |
| 2 | 1984 | 1-2 years / 18-24 months | 2226 |
| 3 | 1985 | 2-3 years / 32-36 months | 2234 |
| 4 | 1986 | 3-4 years | 2286 |
| 5 | 1988 | 5-6 years | 1785 |
| 6 | 1990 | 7-8 years | 1874 |
| 7 | 1992 | 9-10 years | 1799 |
| 8 | 1994 | 11-12 years | 1743 |
| 9 | 1995 | 12-13 years | 1661 |
| 10 | 1996 | 13-14 years | 1670 |
| 11 | 1998 | 15-16 years | 1666 |
| 12 | 2000 | 17-18 years | 1650 |
| 13 | 2002 | 19-20 years | 1580 |
| 14 | 2006 | 23-24 years | 1505 |
| 15 | 2010 | 27-28 years | 1701 |
| 16 | 2014 | 31-32 years | 1701 |