COCON – Swiss Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth

Abstract

This study profile describes COCON – the acronym for COmpetence and CONtext. This is an interdisciplinary, multi-cohort and multi-informant longitudinal study with a primary focus on how children and adolescents cope with the developmental tasks of early life course transitions. It strives to detect the social and individual antecedents and consequences associated with the handling of these transitions. The project frames child and adolescent development in the triple theoretical perspective of challenges imposed by early transitions in the institutionalised life course, inequality in resources and opportunities, and young people’s competencies. Thanks to the longitudinal and multi-cohort design of the study, this conceptual perspective facilitates the joint examination of intra-individual development, inter-individual differences in developmental outcomes and social change in developmental processes.COCON consists of three age groups, whereby each groups represents a prototypical stage in the process of growing up: mid-childhood (6-year-olds), mid-adolescence (15-year-olds) and early adulthood (21-year-olds). The samples are representative for the French- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland. The large sample sizes and the multilingual context of Switzerland permit the analysis of group disparities as well as cross-cultural differences. The multi-informant component of the study includes the primary caregiver and class teacher.The current study profile outlines the most important characteristics of the study in the context of the conceptual framework and discusses strengths and caveats related to study management as well as ethical considerations and information on data availability.Key messagesThe COCON study is a multi-cohort and multi-informant longitudinal study which enlightens challenges imposed by early transitions.COCON examines intra-individual development, inter-individual differences in developmental outcomes, and social change.The large sample sizes and the multilingual context of Switzerland permit to analyze group disparities as well as cross-cultural differences.