ATP: Australian Temperament Project
The Australian Temperament Project (ATP) is one of Australia’s oldest longitudinal studies of social-emotional development that has followed a representative sample of over 2000 infants and their parents from 4 months (1983) to over 30 years of age. The study has collected detailed age-appropriate survey data on temperament, internalising (depression/anxiety), externalising (violence and addiction) and positive developmental outcomes over 16 waves. Parents, infant welfare nurses, teachers and young people (from 11-12 years) completed questionnaires.
In 2011, we commenced recruitment of cohort offspring with follow-ups in pregnancy (T3), birth, 8 weeks, 12 months and 4 years of age, combining population surveys with in-depth clinical observations on a broad range of constructs including parent mental health and caregiving, and infant behaviour and attachment security. Bringing together data across three generations, the ATP now provides a rare opportunity to address key questions about how the experiences of one generation may affect the next, from grandparent to parent to child.
| Year | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1988 | 1990 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1998 | 2000 | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| Age | 4-8 mths | 1-2 yrs | 2-3 yrs | 3-4 yrs | 5-6 yrs | 7-8 yrs | 9-10 yrs | 11-12 yrs | 12-13 yrs | 13-14 yrs | 15-16 yrs | 17-18 yrs | 19-20 yrs | 23-24 yrs | 27-28 yrs |
| # | 2443 | 2226 | 2234 | 2286 | 1785 | 1874 | 1799 | 1743 | 1661 | 1661 | 1666 | 1650 | 1580 | 1580 | 1701 |
| Identifiers | |||||||||||||||
| Demographics | |||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||
| General health | |||||||||||||||
| Mental health | Mental health | ||||||||||||||
| Nutrition | Nutrition | ||||||||||||||
| Parenting | Parenting | ||||||||||||||
| Relationships | Relationships | Relationships | |||||||||||||
| Reproductive health and pregnancy | |||||||||||||||
| Respiratory health | Respiratory health | ||||||||||||||
| Substance use | Substance use | ||||||||||||||
| Temperament and personality | |||||||||||||||
| Year | > 2011 | > 2011 | > 2011 | > 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 |
| Age | 32 weeks gestation | birth | 8 weeks | 12 months |
| Anthropometrics | ||||
| Behavioural problems | ||||
| Birth | ||||
| Demographics | ||||
| Education | ||||
| General health | General health | |||
| Medication | ||||
| Mental health | Mental health | |||
| Nutrition | ||||
| Parenting | Parenting | |||
| Relationships | Relationships | |||
| Reproductive health and pregnancy | ||||
| Resilience and wellbeing | Resilience and wellbeing | |||
| Sleep | ||||
| Substance use | Substance use | |||
| Temperament and personality | Temperament and personality | |||
| Ultrasound | ||||
| Biosamples | Biosamples | |||
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | Australian Temperament Project |
| Study abbreviation | ATP |
| Current principal investigator/s | Professor Craig Olsson – ATP Scientific Director |
| Current project manager | Ms Sophie Barker
Dr Primrose Letcher |
| Primary Institution | The Royal Children’s Hospital (The Department of Paediatrics) |
| Collaborating Institution/s | Murdoch Children’s 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 Children’s Research Institute R.E. Ross Trust Crime Prevention Victoria RACV TAC |
| Study website | www.melbournechildrens.com/atp |
| Key reference for study (published study protocol) | Vassallo, S. and Sanson, A. (Eds.). (2013). The Australian Temperament Project: The first 30 years. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies https://aifs.gov.au/publications/australian-temperament-project |
| Are data available to others 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 (e.g. social development) | 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 |
| Study type (e.g. randomised control trial, cohort, case-control) | Intergenerational longitudinal cohort study (3 generations) |
| Year commenced | 1983 |
| Ongoing recruitment? | No |
| Commencement sample (N) | 2443 families |
| Average participation rate | 70-80% |
| Annual attrition rate | 1% |
| Intergenerational (e.g. offspring)? | Yes, 3 generations |
| Imaging (e.g. fMRI, ultrasound, retinal photograph)? | No |
| Linkage (e.g. BioGrid, VPDC, NAPLAN, Medicare)? | No |
| Biosamples (e.g. buccal, blood, hair)? | Buccal (generation 2) |
| Ethics approvals or requirements (e.g. specific, extended, unspecified, other)? |
This project only (Specific consent)
Future research related to this project (Extended consent)
|
| Wave | Year | Age (mean, range) | Eligible sample (not deceased, not withdrawn) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | Australian Temperament Project: Generation 3 Cohort Study |
| Study abbreviation | ATP Gen3 |
| Current principal investigator/s | Professor Craig Olsson – ATP Scientific Director |
| Current project manager/s | Ms Sophie Barker
Dr Primrose Letcher |
| Primary Institution | The Royal Children’s Hospital (The Department of Paediatrics) |
| Collaborating Institution/s | Murdoch Children’s Research Institute University of Melbourne Deakin University Australian Institute of Family Studies |
| Major funding sources | National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Research Council Murdoch Children’s Research Institute |
| Study website | www.melbournechildrens.com/atp |
| Key reference for study (published study protocol) | Vassallo, S. and Sanson, A. (Eds.). (2013). The Australian Temperament Project: The first 30 years. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies https://aifs.gov.au/publications/australian-temperament-project Protocol poster can be downloaded here (PPT) |
| Are data available to others 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 (e.g. social development) | To examine transgenerational (pre-conception) determinants of infant mental health, attachment and wellbeing |
| Sampling frame | ATP participants who are pregnant (or partner is pregnant) or have a child aged 11-18 months old |
| Study type (e.g. randomised control trial, cohort, case-control) | Intergenerational longitudinal cohort study (3 generations), with sub-studies |
| Year commenced | 2011 |
| Ongoing recruitment? | Yes |
| Current sample (N) | 1011 children assessed at Wave 4 (12 months), from 644 families (as of June 2019) |
| Target sample (N) | Whole cohort: 1200 children assessed at Wave 4 (12 months) Sub-studies: 250 (attachment), 50 (neurosonography) |
| Annual recruitment rate | 120 for whole cohort |
| Intergenerational (e.g. offspring)? | Yes, 3 generations |
| Imaging (e.g. fMRI, ultrasound, retinal photograph)? | Foetal ultrasound on a 50 participant sub-sample during third trimester of pregnancy |
| Linkage (e.g. BioGrid, VPDC, NAPLAN, Medicare)? | Victorian Perinatal Data Collection – consent to link, linkage yet to occur |
| Biosamples (e.g. buccal, blood, hair)? | Buccal/saliva, hair |
| Ethics approvals or requirements (e.g. specific, extended, unspecified, other)? |
Consent is obtained to collect data at each wave. Participants are advised that their de-identified data may be shared with individuals or consortia. Participants are asked to provide consent to their child providing a cheek swab that will be held indefinitely (unless they request for it to be destroyed) and used in future ethically approved research projects related to this project. Additionally, they are asked to nominate if they they wish to be contacted if researchers would like to use their child’s DNA sample for research beyond that related to social and emotional development.
|
| Wave | Year | Age (mean, range) | Eligible sample (not deceased, not withdrawn) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 – 2019 | 32 weeks gestation | Target 800 (whole cohort); 50 (neurosonography) |
| 2 | 2011 – 2019 | Birth | Target 1000 (whole cohort) |
| 3 | 2011 – 2019 | 8 weeks | Target 250 (whole cohort) |
| 4 | 2011 – 2019 | 12 months | Target 1200 (whole cohort); 250 (attachment) |
| 5 | 2015 – 2019 | 48 months | Target 1200 (whole cohort); 250 (attachment) |
Scientific Director
Professor Craig Olsson
Email: craig.olsson@rch.org.au
Project Managers
Ms Sophie Barker
Dr Primrose Letcher
Study Contact
Phone: +61 3 9345 4129
Postal Address
Australian Temperament Project
Level 2 West, Department of Paediatrics
Royal Children’s Hospital
Parkville Victoria, 3052