Dr. Christie McGee Petrenko will be joining the faculty of the Mt. Hope Family Center at the University of Rochester in July 2011. Her long-term goal is to establish a productive program of research focusing on the prevention of adverse outcomes (e.g., mental health problems, trouble with the law, substance use) in children with prenatal alcohol exposure. As outlined in her Career Development Plan, a multidisciplinary team of experts will provide her with advanced training and mentoring in several areas, including: prevention science, developmental psychopathology, intervention design and implementation, randomized controlled trials, and longitudinal methodology. Advanced training in these areas will serve as an excellent foundation for Dr. Petrenko to continue her program of research and foster her development as an independent researcher. The proposed research will incorporate multiple methods to rigorously develop and evaluate a preventive intervention for children with prenatal alcohol exposure (grades K-2). The preliminary framework of the proposed intervention includes concurrent child and caregiver skills groups and individualized family advocacy. The intervention will target multiple short- and long-term outcomes, including mental health, school adjustment, social competence, delinquency, parenting, and home environment. Pre-intervention research will inform the content and framework of the preventive intervention. Specifically, focus groups will be conducted with key community stakeholders (caregivers and helping professionals) to evaluate perceived needs and the acceptability of the proposed intervention. Once a tailored intervention is developed, an implementation trial will be conducted to fine-tune the curriculum and ensure the preventive intervention is feasible and engaging for families. The intervention will then be piloted and evaluated through a randomized controlled trial. The proposed preventive intervention aims to improve competence and reduce risk factors for children with prenatal alcohol exposure and increase the likelihood that they will continue on an adaptive developmental trajectory. This intervention has the potential to improve the quality of life for children with FASD and their families and reduce the significant costs to society that accompany prenatal alcohol exposure. This research will also be applied more broadly to test current theories of developmental psychopathology and prevention science, which will improve our understanding of the etiology and malleability of maladaptive behaviors.

Public Health Relevance

Prenatal alcohol exposure is a major public health concern and affects up to 1% of the population. Adverse outcomes including poor mental health, trouble with the law, inappropriate sexual behavior, and substance abuse are common in individuals exposed to alcohol prenatally. The proposed preventive intervention has the potential to improve the quality of lives of affected individuals and their families and reduce costs to the community and society as a whole.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
1K01AA020486-01
Application #
8147430
Study Section
Health Services Research Review Subcommittee (AA)
Program Officer
Breslow, Rosalind
Project Start
2011-07-20
Project End
2016-06-30
Budget Start
2011-07-20
Budget End
2012-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$122,024
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Rochester
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
041294109
City
Rochester
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14627
Petrenko, Christie L M; Pandolfino, Mary E; Quamma, Julie et al. (2017) Emotional Understanding in School-Aged Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Promising Target for Intervention. J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol 24:e21-e31
Petrenko, Christie L M; Pandolfino, Mary E; Robinson, Luther K (2017) Findings from the Families on Track Intervention Pilot Trial for Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Their Families. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 41:1340-1351
Petrenko, Christie L M; Alto, Michelle E (2017) Interventions in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: An international perspective. Eur J Med Genet 60:79-91
Petrenko, Christie L M; Pandolfino, Mary E; Roddenbery, Rachael (2016) The association between parental attributions of misbehavior and parenting practices in caregivers raising children with prenatal alcohol exposure: A mixed-methods study. Res Dev Disabil 59:255-267
Petrenko, Christie L M (2015) Positive Behavioral Interventions and Family Support for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Curr Dev Disord Rep 2:199-209
Patrenko, Christie L M; Tahir, Naira; Mahoney, Erin C et al. (2014) A qualitative assessment of program characteristics for preventing secondary conditions in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol 21:e246-59
Petrenko, Christie L M; Tahir, Naira; Mahoney, Erin C et al. (2014) Prevention of secondary conditions in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: identification of systems-level barriers. Matern Child Health J 18:1496-505
Petrenko, Christie L M (2013) A Review of Intervention Programs to Prevent and Treat Behavioral Problems in Young Children with Developmental Disabilities. J Dev Phys Disabil 25:
Taussig, Heather N; Culhane, Sara E; Garrido, Edward et al. (2013) Does severity of physical neglect moderate the impact of an efficacious preventive intervention for maltreated children in foster care? Child Maltreat 18:56-64