Because interviews were conducted by telephone and typically in the respondent’s home, a number of measures were taken to ensure that the information shared by the offspring was kept confidential. All respondents were told that their information would be completely confidential and would not be shared with any member of their family, including their parents. At the time of her own interview, mothers were told that information about their child’s interview would not be shared with them. Exceptions to this rule were instances of harm to the child, including current suicidality and child abuse. The consent document specifically detailed that if instances of harm to or by the child were revealed, that confidentiality would be broken.
