A Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (MRSDA; K01) from NIAAA is requested that will facilitate the candidate's development into a productive and independent research scientist in the field of help-seeking and treatment for alcohol problems. Over the course of a 5-year plan, the award will provide the time and resources necessary for the candidate to receive extensive training and mentoring. Specifically, the award will address 5 primary areas of the candidate's career development: l) to gain a solid foundation in alcohol-related help-seeking; 2) to strengthen advanced methodological and statistical skills; 3) to implement a longitudinal study of help-seeking in individuals with alcohol problems (see below); 4) to develop a grant proposal (R01) for a more encompassing study of help-seeking behavior; 5) to foster development in the ethical conduct of research. The mentors for the MRSDA, Drs. Gerard Connors and Kimberly Walitzer, as well as the consultants, Drs. Jalie Tucker and Bernice Pescosolido, and the statistician, Dr. Tenko Raykov, constitute a strong team that will be fundamental to the candidate's career development during the award period. In addition, the resources at the Research Institute on Addictions provide an ideal environment for developing a career in addictions research, as well as the best possible setting for conducting the research study proposed in this application. The proposed study will recruit individuals with a range of alcohol problem severity, and will track their help-seeking behavior over a two-year period. The study will assess attitudes and beliefs about alcohol and alcohol treatment as potential predictors of help-seeking for alcohol problems. This study will be the first to examine this constellation of predictors prospectively, which will allow for investigation of decisions to enter treatment as a process, rather than as a single event. In the context of the MRSDA, the proposed study, in combination with advanced training and mentoring, will provide the foundation for a programmatic plan of help-seeking and treatment outcome research.
| Montes, Kevin S; Dearing, Ronda L; Claus, Eric D et al. (2017) Does change in self-perceived problem drinker identity relate to change in alcohol use? An examination of nontreatment seeking hazardous drinkers. Psychol Addict Behav 31:721-726 |
| Dearing, Ronda L; Twaragowski, Cheryl L; Smith, Philip H et al. (2014) Super Bowl Sunday: risky business for at-risk (male) drinkers? Subst Use Misuse 49:1359-63 |
| Dearing, Ronda L; Witkiewitz, Katie; Connors, Gerard J et al. (2013) Prospective changes in alcohol use among hazardous drinkers in the absence of treatment. Psychol Addict Behav 27:52-61 |
