The long-term goal of the K08 Mentored Research Clinical Scientist Development Award is to expand theapplicant's research capabilities to include adolescent Reservation-dwelling American Indian (RDAIs)substance use. The proposed training and research plan fit well with NIDA's strategic plan to promote researchon health disparities related to substance use and to increase minority representation in substance useresearch. The candidate is an American Indian, and her prior research experiences have been in the area ofhealth disparities related to alcohol use in adult RDAIs, involving quantitative methodologies. Althoughresearch shows that RDAI adolescents are at a higher risk for substance use, we know little about the reasonsfor this increased risk. In a group of adult RDAIs, we found that RDAIs as a group expected less of a drop inaccess to some basic reinforcers (access to housing, employment, etc) as a function of heavy drinkingcompared to middle class Caucasians. Because adults typically begin using alcohol and other drugs duringadolescence, studying reinforcers for not using in adolescent RDAIs is a high public health priority. The presentapplication proposes a structured program of mentoring, training, and supervised research to increase thecandidate's capacity to conduct high-quality research blending state of the art qualitative and quantitativemethodologies. This K08 will accomplish these objectives through the career development and research plans.The career development plan consists of mentored training in measurement development, adolescentdevelopment as it relates to substance use, adolescent American Indian substance use research, qualitativeand advanced quantitative methods, and training in translating research findings to treatment and preventiondevelopment. The Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies provides an intellectuallystimulating environment with outstanding resources to ensure the successful achievement of the candidate'straining plan. The candidate has assembled a team of mentors who are each experts and nationally known fortheir research in areas specific to the training plan. Dr. Christopher Kahler (primary mentor) is an expert inmeasurement development, advanced quantitative methods, and translational research. Dr. Don Operario (co-mentor) is an expert in community based participatory research focusing on health disparities in ethnicallydiverse populations, and in the use and implementation of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. Dr.Kristina Jackson (co-mentor) is an expert in adolescent development and substance use involvement. Finally,Dr. Paul Spicer (co-mentor) is an expert in American Indian research with adults and adolescents. Theresearch plan proposes a three phase plan to test a theory of risk for substance use in adolescent RDAIs. Thefirst phase employs qualitative methods to identify and construct a typology of factors unique to this population? i.e., the social/environmental, cultural, and developmental context - that might reinforce observed patterns ofsubstance use. Based on these interviews, we will develop a measure of these reinforcers to be used in Phase2. Phase 2 is a psychometric evaluation of the measure that will be developed from the qualitative interviewsand focus groups conducted in Phase 1. Phase 3 is a cross-sectional test of the association between thesefactors and substance use involvement. The candidate will write an R01 in order to follow these individuals toinvestigate the role of these factors longitudinally. Results of this program of research are expected toultimately inform the development of a theoretically based, developmentally and culturally appropriate theory toprevent the use and harms associated with substance use in this population. It is anticipated that thisprevention intervention model will target important determinants of substance use, which will be characterizedin this proposed K-Award and subsequent R01 submission. In sum, this award will provide the candidate thenecessary expertise to develop an independent innovative research program that will generate findings that willcontribute to our understanding of risk for substance use in this high risk RDAI group and inform more effectiveprevention and intervention programs.
Adolescent RDAIs initiate substance use at an earlier age and use more substances that non-reservationAmerican Indian and non-American Indian youth. This project will contribute to our understanding of the riskprocess for substance use involvement in adolescent RDAIs; which will have value for: (a) understandingwhich individuals are at greatest risk for substance abuse and (b) developing effective prevention programs.
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