Family Transitions Project History & Archives

The Family Transitions Project (FTP) is a longitudinal study involving more than 550 individuals and their families. The FTP represents an extension of two earlier studies: the Iowa Youth and Families Project (IYFP) and the Iowa Single Parent Project (ISPP).

The Iowa Youth and Families Project, or IYFP, began in response to the farm crisis that affected rural areas in Iowa in the 1980s. In 1989, IYFP enlisted 451 families from 8 rural counties in central Iowa (highlighted in the map) to participate in this project. These families included a Target seventh grade child, his or her two biological parents, and a sibling within four years of the Target child's age. The purpose of the study was to examine the processes involved in the transition from childhood to adolescence, as well as to understand the broader outcomes due to stress created by economic hardship. Data were gathered through telephone interviews and in-home visits, including video taped discussion tasks, from each of the family members participating in the study, and also teachers of the Target children. IYFP lasted from 1989 to 1993.

The Iowa Single Parent Project, or ISPP, began in 1991 with 108 ninth graders from throughout the state (highlighted in the map). These families were headed by a mother who had experienced divorce within two years prior to the study, and a close-aged sibling to the Target child was also involved. Interview procedures for ISPP were identical to that of IYFP. The study lasted from 1991 to 1993.

In 1994, when the Targets were in the twelfth grade, the families from IYFP and SPP were combined to form the Family Transitions Project. Beginning in 1995, the study focus shifted from the family in which the youths were raised to the emerging families and relationships they were creating, including spouses, romantic partners, and, by 1997, children of the Targets. In 2009 study children range in age from 18 months  to 17 years old. Thirteen is the age that the Target parent joined the study, so the study has literally come full circle. Targets and their families are contacted yearly, and around 95 percent continue to participate. In 2008-2009, Targets live in 31 states (see map at left) and 4 countries;71% of Targets continue to reside in Iowa.

In 2001, the Midlife Transitions Project revisited parents of Targets who participated in IFYP and ISPP. The purpose of this project was to learn more about how parents react to changes that occur in their lives, especially as their adult children leave home, their own elderly parents need care, and they plan and look forward to retirement.

Check out our Archives for additional history of this project and other factors that have impacted Iowans.