Correcting for Selective Nonresponse in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Using Multiple Imputation

Survey attrition and nonresponse, particularly when selective, present unique challenges to researchers interested in studying developmental processes and longitudinal change. Four distinct patterns of nonresponse on children's psychosocial adjustment and lifetime poverty experiences and family histories are identified using principal components analysis. In turn, membership in these four groups is significantly predicted by the child's demographic characteristics, family experiences, and previous values on adjustment variables, indicating selective nonresponse and raising the possibility of biased estimates based on listwise deletion of missing data. We then examine a set of latent growth curve models that interrelate children's family experiences and psychosocial adjustment using listwise deletion (LD) and multiple imputation (MI) procedures. Implications for treatment of nonresponse in national longitudinal surveys are discussed.