Growing Up in Ireland is the national longitudinal study of children and young people in Ireland. It was started in 2006 with the main aim of providing evidence to inform policy decisions. The study is overseen and funded by the Irish government through the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in association with the Central Statistics Office. The study consists of two cohorts, an infant cohort (Cohort ’08, recruited into the study at 9 months old) and a child cohort (Cohort ’98, recruited at age 9 years). This review is concerned with Cohort ’08 which comprises children born mostly in 2008, first visited at 9 months old and most recently at 9 years old. Further detail on the cohort and study design is contained in section 1.2 and in a separate dedicated report (McNamara, O’Mahony & Murray, 2020).  

The purpose of this literature review is to examine previous research on selected topics which might be useful to explore using the Growing Up in Ireland data collected at this wave (age 9 years). This review expands on themes that were highlighted as being of interest and importance during the development of the survey instrumentation for this phase of Growing Up in Ireland. It was originally drafted at a point in time when it was known what variables would be available to researchers but prior to any analysis of those variables. It is expected that these selected review topics will guide a more detailed exploration of Growing Up in Ireland data to add to the knowledge-base in these areas. Given the breadth of information collected in the study at this and previous waves, the authors have decided to explore a selection of topics that relate to data available for the first time at this wave (e.g. the influence of school and teachers) and/or that are particularly relevant to this stage of the life-course, such as parent-child and peer relationships. It is not intended to be either exhaustive or prescriptive in terms of coverage but should provide a useful background to further research in a number of key research areas. Previous literature reviews in this series cover different topics from earlier ages with this cohort, and also the older Cohort ’98 at age 9 years, will also be of interest to the reader seeking to explore the longitudinal nature of this landmark study.