TARS Frequently Asked Questions
The Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) is a longitudinal study that explores the relationship qualities and the subjective meanings that motivate adolescent behavior. More specifically, this series seeks to examine the nature and meaning of adolescent relationship experiences (e.g., with family, peers, and dating partners) in an effort to discover how experiences associated with age, gender, race, and ethnicity influence the meaning(s) of dating relationships. The series further investigates the relative impact of dating partners and peers on sexual behavior and contraceptive practices, as well as involvement in other problem behaviors that can contribute independently to sexual risk-taking. The longitudinal design of the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) includes a schedule of follow-up interviews occurring one, three, five, ten, and about eighteen years after the initial interview. To date, eight waves of data have been collected (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2011, 2018-2020, 2020, and 2022), with additional waves being prepared to enter the field.
The sampling strategy was devised by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). The sample was drawn from the enrollment records for school year 2000 of all youths in the 7th, 9th, and 11th grades in Lucas County, Ohio, though school attendance was not a criterion for inclusion. Respondents were randomly selected within grade, race/ethnicity, and gender.
The initial wave of TARS was collected in 2001, wave 2 was collected in 2002, wave 3 was collected in 2004, wave 4 was collected in 2006, wave 5 was collected in 2011, wave 6 data collection took place between April 2018 and March 2020, wave 7 data collection took place between June and October of 2020, and wave 8 was collected in 2022/2023. An additional wave is preparing to enter the field.
Respondents were, on average, 15-years-old at wave 1, 16-years-old at wave 2, 18-years-old at wave 3, 20-years-old at wave 4, 25-years-old at wave 5, 32-years-old at wave 6, 34-years-old at wave 7, and 36-years-old at wave 8.
Data was collected from adolescent respondents through structured in-home interviews utilizing laptop computers with computer assisted interviewing. For waves 2 through 4 a mailout was also made available for those who no longer lived in the area. At wave 5 (2011) an online interview was offered. By wave 6 (2018-2020), all interviews were converted to online. If requested, respondents still had the option of choosing phone assistance to complete the interview, or to request an in-person interview.
In general, questions vary by wave to reflect the sample aging into adulthood, but there are questions that are repeated at each wave (e.g. depressive symptoms, attachment to parents). Each wave also centers around a different set of research questions that influenced the addition of new items. For more information, the questionnaires for each wave are uploaded for review.
- Waves 1 and 2: Dating & Fertility Behavior
- Waves 3 and 4: Dating, Intimate Relationships, and Sexual Risk-taking
- Wave 5: Intimate Relationships and Intimate Partner Violence
- Wave 6: Child well-being, Parental Incarceration, and Intimate Partner Violence
- Wave 7: COVID and Social Distancing
- Wave 8: Desistance and Parenting
Waves 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 are accessible through Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Wave 8 is being deposited, and waves 1 through 7 are being deposited in a longitudinal file.
Do you have a question? Email us at tars@bgsu.edu
*TARS has been supported by awards from the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice (2009-IJ-CX-0503, 2010-MU-MU-0031, 2016-IJ-CX-0012, & 2019-R2-CX-0032), awards from the National Science Foundation (1558755, 2028429), grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD036223, R01HD044206, R01HD066087, R03HD109404, & R15HD109798), and an award from the Department of Health and Human Services (5APRPA006009). This project has also benefitted from support provided by the Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, which received core funding from The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P2CHD050959). The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Department of Justice, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, or the Department of Health and Human Services.
Updated: 05/02/2025 01:23PM