This Scientist Development Award proposal for submission to the National Institute on Drug Abuse is motivated by research indicating that upwards of 70 percent of adolescents with drug abuse disorders also suffer from learning disabilities which substantially increase the risk for a variety of adverse outcomes, including heightened chemical dependency and psychological disturbance, school dropout, delinquency, and imprisonment (Karoacostas & Fisher, 1993). The career development and research plan address two primary aims geared toward the reduction of drug-related morbidity and mortality among adolescents: (a) identify protective factors fostering resiliency among drug abusing adolescents with learning disorders; and (b) complete the development of a cognitive strategy intervention for drug abusing youth that is informed by factors promoting resiliency. The Career Development Plan is comprised of activities organized under five distinct heading; (1) mentorship; (2) research meetings; (3) expert panel meetings on drug abuse and learning disorders; (4) specialized training; and (5) professional meetings in order to accomplish the following objectives (a) incorporate into research an understanding of adolescent drug abuse focusing on relationships between risk and protective factors, client characteristics, treatment factors, and treatment outcome; (b) integrate research and theory in the areas of adolescent drug abuse and learning disorders to analyze drug abuse research problem; (c) identify and assess the extent to which risk factors diminish and protective factors promote abstinence and prosocial behaviors among drug abuse recovering adolescents; (d) evaluate residential and school-based interventions that promote abstinence and academic achievement among drug abuse recovering adolescents; (e) demonstrate understanding of research designs and related sampling methodologies; measurement theory and methods; data management skills; and advanced multivariate analytic techniques; (f) apply design and statistical analysis f=competencies in the planning, implementation, and analysis of research; (g) submit two grants over the five year award period on resiliency and intervention development projects for drug abusing adolescents. The Research Plan consists of five interrelated projects that address the following objectives in two primary subject areas: Protective Factors Promoting Resiliency Subject Area objectives; (a) determine the prevalence of learning disabilities among drug abusing adolescents; (b) identify adverse outcomes (e.g., school failure) for which drug abusing adolescents with learning problems are at heightened risk; (c) examine the impact of the identified adverse outcomes on the course of drug abuse among adolescents; (d) identify factors that place drug abusing adolescents at risk for continued use and diminish resiliency; (e) identify factors that protect drug abusing adolescents from continued use and promote resilience. Intervention Development Subject Area Objectives; (a) examine relationships between drug abuse problem severity, treatment variables, and outcome; (b) identify risk and protective u predicting relapse and abstinence among drug abuse recovering adolescents;; (c) examine the extent to which academic achievement potentials factors contributing to successful treatment outcome; (d) develop a cognitive strategy intervention manual for use by drug abuse counselors and education professional to treat recovering adolescents; and (e) pilot-test the efficacy of the cognitive intervention.
