Australian Temperament Project (ATP)
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 almost 40 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 at relevant time points. Parents (Generation 1) and their offspring (Generation 2) have now been followed over 3 decades (16 waves) from 4-8 months into the 30s.
Offspring of these original ATP participants were then recruited as part of the ATP Generation 3 Study. 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.
ATP will soon be described here with measure-level metadata.
| Year | 2012-2019 | 2014-2019 | 2012-2020 | 2015-Ongoing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Age | 32-40 weeks gestation | 8-12 weeks | 12-18 months | 4-6 years |
| N | 737 | 555 | 1086 | in progress |
| RELEVANT LIFECOURSE DOMAINS | Anthropometrics | |||
| Community environment | ||||
| Demographics | ||||
| Education and childcare | ||||
| Environmental exposures | ||||
| Family environment | ||||
| Medications and supplements | ||||
| Mental health and behaviour problems | ||||
| Neurocognitive development | ||||
| Nutrition | ||||
| Other health information | ||||
| Peer relationships | ||||
| Pregnancy and birth | ||||
| Psychosocial wellbeing | ||||
| Romantic relationships | Romantic relationships | |||
| Screen and technology use | ||||
| Sleep | ||||
| Speech and language | ||||
| Substance use | Substance use | |||
| Temperament and personality | ||||
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | Australian Temperament Project |
| Study abbreviation | ATP |
| Current principal investigator/s |
Professor Craig Olsson (Royal Children’s Hospital)
|
| Current project manager |
Lacey Chetcuti
|
| Primary Institution/s |
The Royal Children’s Hospital - RCH |
| Collaborating Institution/s |
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI The University of Melbourne - UoM Deakin University Australian Institute of Family Studies La Trobe University |
| Major funding source/s |
National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC Australian Research Council - ARC Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI R.E. Ross Trust Crime Prevention Victoria |
| Study website | https://www.melbournechildrens.com/atp/ |
| Key reference for study | Vassallo, S. and Sanson, A. (Eds.). (2013). The Australian Temperament Project: The first 30 years. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
| 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.
|
| Primary study type | Longitudinal cohort |
| Primary participant (at recruitment) | Index child |
| Year commenced |
1983
|
| Is this study ongoing? | Yes - the study is ongoing |
| Ongoing recruitment? | No |
| Sample size (N) |
2443
|
| Survey data available? | Yes |
| Imaging data available? | No |
| Linkage to administrative dataset/s? | No, no consent to link to administrative dataset(s) obtained |
| Biosamples available? | Yes |
| Are data available to others outside study team, with appropriate safeguards and structures in line with the cohort’s ethics and governance processes? | Yes |
| Are there any costs associated with data/sample access for approved requests? | There may be costs associated with access, evaluated on a case by case basis |
| Broadest type of participant consent available |
Extended consent (can be used for future ethically approved research related to this project) |
| Wave | Year | Age | Sample size (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1983 | 4-8 months | |
| 2 | 1984 | 1-2 years | |
| 3 | 1985 | 2-3 years | |
| 4 | 1986 | 3-4 years | |
| 5 | 1988 | 5-6 years | |
| 6 | 1990 | 7-8 years | |
| 7 | 1992 | 9-10 years | |
| 8 | 1994 | 11-12 years | |
| 9 | 1995 | 12-13 years | |
| 10 | 1996 | 13-14 years | |
| 11 | 1998 | 15-16 years | |
| 12 | 2000 | 17-18 years | |
| 13 | 2002 | 19-20 years | |
| 14 | 2006 | 23-24 years | |
| 15 | 2010 | 27-28 years |
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | Australian Temperament Project: Generation 3 Cohort Study |
| Study abbreviation | ATPG3 |
| Current principal investigator/s |
Professor Craig Olsson (Royal Children’s Hospital)
|
| Current project manager |
Lacey Chetcuti
|
| Primary Institution/s |
The Royal Children’s Hospital - RCH |
| Collaborating Institution/s |
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI The University of Melbourne - UoM Deakin University Australian Institute of Family Studies La Trobe University |
| Major funding source/s |
National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC Australian Research Council - ARC Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI R.E. Ross Trust Crime Prevention Victoria |
| Study website | https://www.melbournechildrens.com/atp/ |
| Key reference for study | Vassallo, S. and Sanson, A. (Eds.). (2013). The Australian Temperament Project: The first 30 years. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. |
| 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.
|
| Primary study type | Longitudinal cohort |
| Primary participant (at recruitment) | Index child |
| Year commenced |
1983
|
| Is this study ongoing? | Yes - the study is ongoing |
| Ongoing recruitment? | No |
| Sample size (N) |
2443
|
| Survey data available? | Yes |
| Imaging data available? | No |
| Linkage to administrative dataset/s? | No, no consent to link to administrative dataset(s) obtained |
| Biosamples available? | Yes |
| Are data available to others outside study team, with appropriate safeguards and structures in line with the cohort’s ethics and governance processes? | Yes |
| Are there any costs associated with data/sample access for approved requests? | There may be costs associated with access, evaluated on a case by case basis |
| Broadest type of participant consent available |
Extended consent (can be used for future ethically approved research related to this project) |
| Wave | Year | Age | Sample size (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012-2019 | 32-40 weeks gestation | N(Total)=737 |
| 2 | 2014-2019 | 8-12 weeks | N(Total)=555 |
| 3 | 2012-2020 | 12-18 months | N(Total)=1086 |
| 4 | 2015-Ongoing | 4-6 years | IN PROGRESS |
| Study Contacts | |
|---|---|
| Principal investigator/s |
Professor Craig Olsson (Royal Children’s Hospital)
|
| Project manager |
Lacey Chetcuti
|
| Study Contact |
Phone: +613 9345 4129
|
| Study Contacts | |
|---|---|
| Principal investigator/s |
Professor Craig Olsson (Royal Children’s Hospital)
|
| Project manager |
Lacey Chetcuti
|
| Study Contact |
Phone: +613 9345 4129
|