The stresses young people In Ireland face as they move into adulthood are to be assessed as part of the second phase of the Growing Up in Ireland study, which has just been launched.

Growing Up in Ireland: The National Longitudinal Study of Children has been monitoring the development of nearly 20,000 children since 2007 - over 11,000 nine-month-olds and more than 8,500 nine-year-olds.

This has yielded a vast amount of information on a wide range of topics, including bullying, the effects of economic vulnerability on children, breastfeeding, obesity and special educational needs.

This second phase of the study will cover the period 2015-2019 and will look at young people aged nine, 17 and 20 years.

Topics that will be covered include the stresses facing young people today, sexuality and sexual behaviour, risky behaviours such as drinking alcohol and taking drugs, and the extent to which the education system has prepared these young people for adult life.

According to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly, this study is ‘one of the most important strategic investments in data and research ever undertaken on children's lives in an Irish context'.