This handbook is a guide and reference document for those researching the child data files of the 1986-1990 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It describes the child data collection procedures, the nature of the child sample, the child data files available, and the specifics of the child assessments…

Children who experience multiple transitions in family structure may face worse developmental outcomes than children raised in stable, two-parent families, and perhaps even worse than children raised in stable, single-parent families--a point denoted in much prior research. Multiple transitions and negative child outcomes, however, may be…