Caught in the net: Interdisciplinary perspectives on a longitudinal view of emotional and behavioural difficulties

This article explores some of the challenges of conducting longitudinal studies relating
to emotional and behavioural difficulties, with reference to the small number of studies
that exist in this area. The authors distinguish between longitudinal and follow up
studies, drawing on examples from a range of disciplines. They then begin to explore
the new avenues for researching the lives of young people presented by the growth in
popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook. The article also breaks new
ground by drawing on the disciplines of philosophy and neuroscience in order to begin
to theorise the notion of time. This is a fundamental element of the longitudinal view,
but one that is not generally addressed in studies that invite people to look back over
their lives.