TwinLife Documentation TwinLife Documentation TwinLife Documentation
  • Overview and getting started
    • Overview (Table of content)
    • Getting started
    • Data access & documentation
  • 1. About TwinLife
    • 1.1 Basic Concept
    • 1.2 Study Design and Sample Structure
    • 1.3 Where and how to get the Data
  • 2. Documentation of the study
    • 2.1 Data Documentation Website and ShortGuide
    • 2.2 Documentation within the Data Sets
    • 2.3 paneldata.org
    • 2.4 Codebooks
    • 2.5 Technical Report Series, Methodology Reports, and Working Paper Series
  • 3. Data Structure
    • 3.1 Data Formats and Data Files
    • 3.2 Person Types
    • 3.3 System of Variable Names
    • 3.4 ID Variables, Wave and Data Collection Identifiers
    • 3.5 Missing Types and their Meanings
    • 3.6 Delivered Para Data
    • 3.7 Weights
    • 3.8 Pecularities of Data
    • 3.9 How to match the Data Files
    • 3.10 Matching information from the parent-about-child questionnaire to the child's data set
  • 4. Check Routines
    • 4.1 Check routines
    • 4.2 Data Adjustment
  • 5. Generated Variables and Scales
    • 5.1 Generated Variables
    • 5.2 Generated Scales
  • 6. Publications and Citation
    • 6.1 Publications and Literature Database
    • 6.2 Citation
  • 7. Useful Links
  • Terms and Privacy
  • Downloads
  • Overview and getting started
    • Overview (Table of content)
    • Getting started
    • Data access & documentation
  • 1. About TwinLife
    • 1.1 Basic Concept
    • 1.2 Study Design and Sample Structure
    • 1.3 Where and how to get the Data
  • 2. Documentation of the study
    • 2.1 Data Documentation Website and ShortGuide
    • 2.2 Documentation within the Data Sets
    • 2.3 paneldata.org
    • 2.4 Codebooks
    • 2.5 Technical Report Series, Methodology Reports, and Working Paper Series
  • 3. Data Structure
    • 3.1 Data Formats and Data Files
    • 3.2 Person Types
    • 3.3 System of Variable Names
    • 3.4 ID Variables, Wave and Data Collection Identifiers
    • 3.5 Missing Types and their Meanings
    • 3.6 Delivered Para Data
    • 3.7 Weights
    • 3.8 Pecularities of Data
    • 3.9 How to match the Data Files
    • 3.10 Matching information from the parent-about-child questionnaire to the child's data set
  • 4. Check Routines
    • 4.1 Check routines
    • 4.2 Data Adjustment
  • 5. Generated Variables and Scales
    • 5.1 Generated Variables
    • 5.2 Generated Scales
  • 6. Publications and Citation
    • 6.1 Publications and Literature Database
    • 6.2 Citation
  • 7. Useful Links

1.1 Basic Concept

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  • TwinLife sets out to take a look at the biological origin as well as the social origin of social inequality (Figure 1). Using the data of identical and fraternal twins as well as their families, the impact of genetic differences on certain behavior can be determined. Furthermore, environmental characteristics such as the socio-economic status (SES), family structure and home environment, relations among family members as well as characteristics of the neighborhood are observed.
    Image
    Figure 1. Basic concept and six domains of social inequality.
    Social inequality is divided into six areas (see Figure 1) that reach from education and labor market attainment to health, psychopathology and deviant behavior.
    01

    Skill formation and education

    This area contains e.g., the level of education, educational aspirations, and achievement motivation in addition to cognitive abilities and their development.
    02

    Career, labor market attainment, and welfare

    This domain includes the perceived security of the workplace, job satisfaction, commitment to work, current occupation, and current position as well as income or, if applicable, the receipt of social benefits.
    03

    Political and social integration and participation

    The characteristics of the social environment of every person such as the support by family, friends, and spouses are covered in this area. Furthermore, social and political commitment and social resources are of particular interest.
    04

    Subjective perception of quality of life

    This category comprises, e.g., a person’s self-esteem, global life satisfaction as well as their satisfaction concerning specific areas.
    05

    Physical and psychological health

    Assessments of general health in terms of diseases, but also subjectively perceived impairments as well as information on health behaviors are covered in this area.
    06

    Psychopathology and deviant behavior

    Criminal or delinquent behavior as well as the degree of internalizing and externalizing problem behavior are surveyed in this domain.
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