The candidate, Dr. Paul Smokowski, is an Assistant Professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's (UNC-CH) School of Social Work. He has served as Co-Principal Investigator on youth violence research grants funded by NIDA and the CDC. His career goals are as follows; (1) establish himself as an interdisciplinary public health scholar with a national recognition for research on Latino adolescent health and mental health, (2) become a rigorous mixed-methods researcher, and (3) secure RO1 funding for a multi-state study of acculturation and health behaviors in Latino adolescents. The candidate's research career development plan includes receiving mentoring from Professors Mark Fraser, a nationally known scholar on risk and resilience in children and adolescents, Carol Runyan, a leading public health researcher on injury control, and Flavio Marsiglia, an expert on acculturation and adolescent substance use. He will take advanced coursework in the UNC-CH School of Public Health, focusing on adolescent health and research methodology. He will also become a core member of UNC-CH's Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC). The training environment draws resources from UNC-CH's School of Public Health, School of Social Work, IPRC, and Arizona State University's Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Consortium.
The aim of the proposed investigation is to study acculturation, health protection, and health risk behavior in Latino adolescents residing in North Carolina and Arizona. This investigation will map modifiable risk factors that lead Latino adolescents to engage in negative health behaviors such as alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, aggressive behavior, and suicide. Using a prospective, longitudinal design, 300 Latino adolescents (150 in NC, and 150 in AZ) will be assessed 4 times over 3 years. Mixed-methods analyses using HLM growth curve modeling, and qualitative interview data will examine how acculturation processes and health behaviors evolve over time in different environmental settings.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01CE000496-02
Application #
6952800
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZCD1-EWS (K2))
Program Officer
Childress, Adele M
Project Start
2004-09-30
Project End
2007-09-29
Budget Start
2005-09-30
Budget End
2006-09-29
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$314,983
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Type
Schools of Social Work
DUNS #
608195277
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599
Bacallao, Martica L; Smokowski, Paul R (2013) Obstacles to getting ahead: how assimilation mechanisms impact undocumented mexican immigrant families. Soc Work Public Health 28:1-20
Marsiglia, Flavio F; Kulis, Stephen; Garcia Perez, Hilda et al. (2011) Hopelessness, family stress, and depression among Mexican-heritage mothers in the southwest. Health Soc Work 36:7-18
Smokowski, Paul Richard; Rose, Roderick A; Bacallao, Martica (2010) Influence of risk factors and cultural assets on Latino adolescents' trajectories of self-esteem and internalizing symptoms. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 41:133-55
AyĆ³n, Cecilia; Marsiglia, Flavio F; Bermudez-Parsai, Monica (2010) LATINO FAMILY MENTAL HEALTH: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF DISCRIMINATION AND FAMILISMO. J Community Psychol 38:742-756
Buchanan, Rachel Lee; Smokowski, Paul Richard (2009) Pathways from acculturation stress to substance use among latino adolescents. Subst Use Misuse 44:740-62
Smokowski, Paul; Buchanan, Rachel L; Bacallao, Martica L (2009) Acculturation and adjustment in Latino adolescents: how cultural risk factors and assets influence multiple domains of adolescent mental health. J Prim Prev 30:371-93
Marsiglia, Flavio F; Kulis, Stephen; Fitzharris, Blythe et al. (2009) Acculturation Gaps and Problem Behaviors among U.S. Southwestern Mexican Youth. Soc Work Forum (N Y N Y) 42-43:6-26
Bacallao, Martica L; Smokowski, Paul R (2009) Entre dos mundos/between two worlds: bicultural development in context. J Prim Prev 30:421-51
Smokowski, Paul Richard; Rose, Roderick A; Bacallao, Martica (2009) Acculturation and aggression in Latino adolescents: modeling longitudinal trajectories from the Latino Acculturation and Health Project. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 40:589-608
Marsiglia, Flavio F; Kulis, Stephen; Parsai, Monica et al. (2009) Cohesion and conflict: family influences on adolescent alcohol use in immigrant Latino families. J Ethn Subst Abuse 8:400-12