Longitudinal studies (CS)

Definition: Longitudinal studies research

is a type of research method used to discover relationships between variables that are not related to various background variables. This observational research technique involves studying the same group of individuals over an extended period of time. Data is first collected at the outset of the study, and may then be gathered repeatedly throughout the length of the study. In some cases, longitudinal studies can last several decades

Benefits of Longitudinal Research

1) allows researchers to look at changes over time. Because of this, longitudinal methods are particularly useful when studying development and lifespan issues.

Drawbacks of Longitudinal Research

1) require enormous amounts of time and are often quite expensive. 2) Because of this, these studies often have only a small group of subjects, which makes it difficult to apply the results to a larger population. 3) Another problem is that participants sometimes drop out of the study, shrinking the sample size and decreasing the amount of data collected.

Example of Longitudinal Research

Professor I.J. Higginson and G.J.A. Sen-Gupta. Place of Care in Advanced Cancer: A Qualitative Systematic Literature Review of Patient Preferences Journal of Palliative Medicine. Fall 2000, 3(3): 287-300. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15859670