Career Goal: I am committed to a career as a research scientist working at the intersection of psychology and public health. My goal is to contribute to both basic social science and prevention programs that improve adolescent sexual health and reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS. Career Development: This Pathway to Independence Award will enhance my methodological and statistical skills and provide the specific training that I need to transition from conducting research on the predictors of risky sexual behaviors that lead to HIV/STD transmission to designing and implementing effective HIV/STD prevention programs for adolescents. During the mentored training phase, my goals are to: 1) master methodological strategies for conducting school-based sexual health research; 2) gain proficiency in the advanced statistics needed to analyze multi-wave longitudinal data; 3) gain the skills necessary to design and implement an effective sexual health intervention; and 4) develop the skills, expertise, and pilot data to facilitate my successful transition from a mentored postdoctoral fellow into a fully independent research scientist. Research Project: In the U.S., youth between the ages of 15-24 years represent 25% of the sexually experienced population, yet they acquire a full 50% of all STDs. This results in over 9 million STDs and 8,300 newly diagnosed cases of HIV each year in this group, with teen girls at greater risk of infection than boys. The goal of the current project is t gain a more comprehensive understanding of the way that sexual communication, defined as the ability to discuss sexual health topics, such as condom use, HIV/STDs, and abstinence, may reduce acts of unprotected sex among teens. Then, using this updated understanding, I will incorporate sexual communication skills training into an innovative, computer-based HIV/STD prevention program for adolescent girls. The project objectives will be achieved through the following three Specific Aims: 1) examine adolescent sexual communication and condom use over time; 2) develop an interactive, computer-based intervention to increase adolescent girls' sexual communication skills; and 3) assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the sexual communication intervention in a randomized controlled trial. Mentorship: A highly accomplished, multidisciplinary team of experts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will mentor me in the initial two years of this award and provide ongoing guidance and support as I launch my independent career. This mentoring team includes two primary mentors: Dr. Mitch Prinstein (Department of Psychology) and Dr. Carol Golin (School of Public Health, Center for AIDS Research), and an outstanding scientific advisory committee: Dr. Daniel Bauer (Department of Psychology), Dr. Seth Noar (School of Journalism and Mass Communication), and Dr. Jane Brown (School of Journalism and Mass Communication). Future Directions: The skills achieved and the rich preliminary data from this proposal will directly support a future R01 application to conduct a full clinical trial of the sexual communication intervention.

Public Health Relevance

Adolescents who discuss sexual health topics, such as condom use, HIV/STDs, and abstinence, with their dating partners and friends are more likely to use condoms consistently than teens who do not communicate about sex. The proposed project will enhance our understanding of the sexual communication process and illuminate the relationship between sexual communication and condom use over the course of adolescence. This enhanced understanding will then be incorporated into an innovative, interactive sexual health intervention aimed at increasing sexual communication skills and decreasing unprotected sex for adolescent girls at risk of HIV and STDs.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Transition Award (R00)
Project #
3R00HD075654-03S1
Application #
9235472
Study Section
Program Officer
Newcomer, Susan
Project Start
2016-06-29
Project End
2017-06-30
Budget Start
2016-06-29
Budget End
2017-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
$205
Indirect Cost
$70
Name
North Carolina State University Raleigh
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
042092122
City
Raleigh
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27695
Widman, Laura; Golin, Carol E; Kamke, Kristyn et al. (2018) Sexual Assertiveness Skills and Sexual Decision-Making in Adolescent Girls: Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Program. Am J Public Health 108:96-102
Garrett Wagner, Kyla P; Widman, Laura; Nesi, Jacqueline et al. (2018) Intentions to use emergency contraception: The role of accurate knowledge and information source credibility. Am J Health Educ 49:264-270
Widman, Laura; Nesi, Jacqueline; Kamke, Kristyn et al. (2018) Technology-Based Interventions to Reduce Sexually Transmitted Infections and Unintended Pregnancy Among Youth. J Adolesc Health 62:651-660
Burnette, Jeni L; Russell, Michelle V; Hoyt, Crystal L et al. (2017) An online growth mindset intervention in a sample of rural adolescent girls. Br J Educ Psychol :
Nesi, Jacqueline; Widman, Laura; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia et al. (2017) Technology-Based Communication and the Development of Interpersonal Competencies Within Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Preliminary Investigation. J Res Adolesc 27:471-477
Widman, L; Golin, C E; Kamke, K et al. (2017) Feasibility and acceptability of a web-based HIV/STD prevention program for adolescent girls targeting sexual communication skills. Health Educ Res 32:343-352
Francis, Diane B; Noar, Seth M; Widman, Laura et al. (2016) Perceptions of a campus-wide condom distribution programme: An exploratory study. Health Educ J 75:998-1011
Widman, Laura; Golin, Carol E; Noar, Seth M et al. (2016) ProjectHeartforGirls.com: Development of a Web-Based HIV/STD Prevention Program for Adolescent Girls Emphasizing Sexual Communication Skills. AIDS Educ Prev 28:365-377
Widman, Laura; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Noar, Seth M et al. (2016) Parent-Adolescent Sexual Communication and Adolescent Safer Sex Behavior: A Meta-Analysis. JAMA Pediatr 170:52-61
Widman, Laura; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Helms, Sarah W et al. (2016) Adolescent Susceptibility to Peer Influence in Sexual Situations. J Adolesc Health 58:323-9