STED Young Adult to Adult Survey Comparison May 2013

STED Young Adult Survey Instruments

Comparison with Adult Instruments

The young adult instruments are adaptations of the adult survey instruments designed to better measure the prevalence of specific issues facing young adults, particularly those with disadvantaged backgrounds (YAIP) or personal histories (Chicago) that might prevent engagement in productive activity and achievement/maintenance of economic self-sufficiency while still measuring important outcomes related to employment and enabling assessment of participation differentials. The young adult instruments were designed under the same operational parameters (i.e., length, method of administration, etc.).

Differences between the adult and young adult instruments for each survey are in the following tables.

6-month Survey

Adult	Young Adult
A. Employment and Income B. Service Participation C. Material and Financial Hardship	A. Employment and Education/Training
The adult instrument collects detailed information about employment and service participation (as well as total income) in order to allow an early assessment of sample member’s (particularly control group members) activities since random assignment and provide rich context for the analysis of well-being. The young adult instrument captures fewer details as they are less relevant; in addition, the range of well-being measures of interest is larger and so this section was reduced in order to maintain a consistent burden across instruments1.
D. Mental and Physical Health	B. Mental Health and Self Esteem
The adult instrument includes an item about overall health not included in the young adult instrument2. The young adult instrument includes the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale.
E. Locus of Control	C. Locus of Control
The adult instrument includes two items assessing domain-specific control which were dropped from the young adult instrument while includes a series of items related to future expectations (drawn from the Chafee Wave III Survey, OMB Control No. 0970-0253) and the Career Commitment Measure (drawn from Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Multi-Component Evaluation Survey, OMB Control No. 0970-0398)
F. Work Self-Efficacy G. Job Search Self-Efficacy	D. Life Challenges
The adult instrument includes two scales designed to assess sample members’ work and job search efficacy. As these topics are less relevant to the young adult sample, the young adult instrument includes a series of items assessing the presence and effect of various barriers, of particular importance to the study population, to self-sufficiency.
H. Social Support/Social Isolation and Networks I. Role Models	E. Social Support and Role Models
The adult instrument includes items related to the effect of financial stress on relationships which were dropped from the young adult instrument. The young adult instrument includes items related to mentors and additional items regarding role models.
J. Social Network Roster and Relationship Origin	F. Social Network Roster and Relationship Origin
No difference.

12-month Survey

Adult	Young Adult
A. Service Receipt	A. Service Receipt
Both instruments collect details on receipt of and participation in services and education/training. The order of the items differs and some are slightly re-worded.
B. Employment	B. Employment
Both surveys use the same employment module, with a few wording differences for the young adult instrument.
C. Household Composition and Material Hardship G. Childcare Arrangements H. Non-custodial Parents	C. Living Arrangements and Household Composition D. Income and Material Hardship
The young adult instruments includes more details regarding living arrangements and changes in living situations, as well as questions concerning child care and non-custodial parenting (in lieu of break-out modules as in the adult survey). The young adult income and material hardship question focus on the sample member rather than his/her household (as in the adult instrument).
D. Health Insurance E. Sample Member’s Health	E. Health, Health Insurance, and Well-being
The adult instrument includes items concerning the sample member’s partner and children’s health insurance which are dropped from the young adult instrument. The young adult instrument includes more items concerning psychosocial well-being, including the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Locus of Control Scale, Future Expectations (drawn from the Chafee Wave III survey, OMB Control No. 0970-0253), Career Commitment Measure (drawn from PREP Multi-Component Evaluation Survey, OMB Control No. 0970-0398), and Life Challenges; all of these items are replications of items from the 6-month survey included to support analysis of change.
F. Ex-Offenders	F. Criminal Justice
The modules are the same in both instruments. The difference is that this module will only be administered to selected members of the adult sample (i.e., those in ex-offender sites and/or with a criminal history at study enrollment) and will be administered to all sample members in the young adult sites.
	G. Social Support and Network
This section is in the young adult instrument only and is a replication of the 6-month survey items (Social Support Scale and Social Network/Relationship Origin).

1 All of the topics covered in the 6-month adult instrument are also covered, in greater detail, in both 12-month instruments.

2 Dropped to maintain consistent burden; overall health is measured on both 12-month instruments.