The Child to Adult Transition Study (CATS) is a unique longitudinal study that has been following over 1200 children yearly as they transition through adolescence and into adulthood. CATS began in 2012 when the children were in Grade 3 (8-9 years old) and attending primary schools in metropolitan Melbourne. As a study, CATS aims to understand the different factors that influence young peoples’ health and emotional wellbeing as they develop from being adolescents to young adults. Check out our Publications page to find out what some of our research findings over this time.
What have we done in 2025
This year, we undertook the 14th wave of CATS data collection when our participants were 21-22 years of age. Approximately 40% of this group were engaged in study or training, and about 50% were in paid work as their main activity. Usually, participation in studies drops over time and our participants have reached a busy stage of life. Over the past 3 years we have worked hard to re-engage participants who had not recently completed the survey. These efforts have really paid off as we have seen INCREASING participation over the past 3 years. A huge shout out to all of our participants whose data is really aiding our understanding about the health and wellbeing of contemporary young people.
What’s CATS doing in 2026?
CATS will be observing its 15th anniversary in 2026 and we will celebrate this with our participants, thanking them for their involvement over many years. Next year, our participants will be 22-23 years old and will increasing experience a series of transitions as they become young adults. Our annual survey will ask participants about their physical and mental health, living circumstances, studies or work, and how they are managing the many transitions in their lives.