Your Participation Matters
Contribute to the Add Health Parent Study

We are pleased to invite you to join our study! The goal of the Add Health Parent Study is to learn more about healthy aging, especially in connection to parents and their child(ren).
Research like ours is crucial for making positive changes in society. By taking part in the study, you are helping us gather information from various family members, something that has never been done before. With your participation, we will be able to discover the links between health, wellness, and family!
Why is this Study Important?

This study focuses on understanding aging within our communities. Your participation provides essential insights that can help improve health outcomes as we age. Join us in building a healthier future together!
Publications
Here are some examples of how your child(ren) contribute to Add Health research below:
Adult Children’s Educational Attainment and Parent Health in Mid- and Later Life
Authors: Christophe Dennison, Kristen Schulz Lee
Published in: Innovation of Aging, Vol 6, Nov. 2022
The Role of Family Health History in Predicting Midlife Chronic Disease Outcomes
Authors: Naomi N. Duke, Todd M. Jensen, Krista M. Perreira, V. Joseph Hotz, Kathleen Mullan Harris
Published in: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 61, no. 4, Oct. 2021
Association between Intergenerational Violence Exposure and Maternal Age of Menopause.
Authors: Holly Foster, John Hagan, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Jess Garcia
Published in: Menopause, vol. 29, no. 3, 14 Feb. 2022
Findings from Add Health Research
Thanks to you and other participants, we have learned a lot about how our relationships, families, and family health histories relate to healthy aging. Your involvement in this Parent Study has led to some interesting discoveries.
Here are a few examples of what we have found:
Does Family History Predict Disease Outcomes?
Family health history can predict chronic diseases later in life.
A recent study, using data from both the Parent Study and Add Health, found that children with mothers who have histories of high cholesterol, depression and obesity have higher odds of reporting the same conditions. A link between maternal great grandparents and their great grandchildren was also found when it came to diabetes.
This study shows the importance of family, biology, and chronic disease relations. By learning more about inter-family conditions, we can better understand how these diseases are passed down. This affects how conditions are discovered, managed, and improved.
How Does a Parent’s Health Affect their Child’s Romantic Relationship?
Yes, it seems that a parent’s physical health does affect their adult child’s romantic relationship status.
Researchers found, with Parent Study and Add Health data, that a parent’s physical health impacts their child’s romantic relationship. Adult children who have parents with poorer physical health may be less likely to be married.
The emotional closeness of parents and their children, as well as how often they see one another, are also linked with the outcome of the adult child’s romantic relationship.
Do Parent-Child Relationships Differ by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender?
Yes, a new study shows that a parent’s relationship with their child differs by gender, race and ethnicity.
The relationship between a parent and their child(ren) is important. As children are transitioning to adulthood, parents give them support in many ways including emotionally and financially. This study, using Parent Study and Add Health data, found that daughters report lower closeness to their parent(s) in adolescence compared to boys, and that parent-child closeness is reported highest among Black adolescents. The study also showed that parents will give more financially to their children, compared to what their children will give to them, even as they enter adulthood.