Where Are They Now? Locating Former Elementary-School Students after Nearly 40 Years for a Longitudinal Study of Personality and Health

Abstract Teachers' personality assessments of over 2000 children were obtained by John M. Digman between 1959 and 1967 in elementary schools on two Hawaiian islands. In July 1998, we began tracing these former students, who were now adults in the 40- to 50-year-old age range. Over a 2-year period, roughly 75% of the original sample has been located, and over 60% of those located have completed a survey of their personality attributes, health status and history, and health-related habits and practices. The most successful methods for tracing these individuals included public records, personal contacts, and an Internet-based people-finder. Comparisons of the located and recruited samples with the original samples on gender and the Big Five personality dimensions indicated virtually no selection biases. The lessons learned for locating such individuals are discussed.