Over the last few decades, social work and other social science research disciplines have become increasingly reliant on large secondary data sets, as such data sets have increased in both number and availability. When starting a new research project, how does one determine whether to use a secondary data set and, if so, which of the thousands of secondary data sets to use? This book provides an in-depth introduction to twenty-nine of the most widely used data sets in social work and the social sciences. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data sets are examined in the book, as are the years ... More

Over the last few decades, social work and other social science research disciplines have become increasingly reliant on large secondary data sets, as such data sets have increased in both number and availability. When starting a new research project, how does one determine whether to use a secondary data set and, if so, which of the thousands of secondary data sets to use? This book provides an in-depth introduction to twenty-nine of the most widely used data sets in social work and the social sciences. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data sets are examined in the book, as are the years covered by these data sets, the units of analysis, and the sample sizes. The book shows where to find the data, key variables contained in the data, and how to use the data in SAS and Stata. Screen shots are used to illustrate the data sets in a step-by-step process—to show how to download the data, how to merge the data with other data sets, and, in some instances, how to program the data. Each section also profiles studies that have used the respective data sets, providing a feel for the depth and range of questions that a given data source can be used to answer. The book looks at areas of social work and other social science in areas such as child abuse and neglect; children's mental, emotional, and physical health; children's bonds with parents; and children's education and economic well-being. Other research areas covered in this text include public assistance, aging and the elderly, health and mental health, child care, neighborhood perceptions and characteristics, food insecurity, housing, income and poverty, birth weight, sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases, physical activity, prescription and illegal drug use, dating and domestic violence, home environment, and emotional and general well-being.