The central aim of the University of New Mexico (UNM) alcohol research training program in methods and mechanisms of change is to provide multidisciplinary pre- and postdoctoral training to prepare future scientists to conduct research on the processes of change in drinking behavior, to develop and test effective models for impacting change through improved approaches to treatment and indicated prevention, and to develop and test models to disseminate knowledge of effective interventions to diverse populations. Central questions that address include: (1) What factors stimulate change in at-risk and clinical populations? (2) What psychological, social, and biological mechanisms underlie successful change at the individual level? (3) How does modeling of different trajectories of change contribute to understanding change processes? (4) What types of interventions are more and less effective in creating long-term behavior change, and, equally important, what specific aspects of treatments account for their effectiveness? (5) How do change processes and interventions vary based on individual differences (e.g. genetic profiles, sociodemographic characteristics, co-morbidity, and social/cultural environment)? (6) What are effective and efficient approaches to disseminate knowledge about successful behavior change? The proposed training program would support 4 pre-doctoral fellows, drawn from the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico, and 3 post-doctoral fellows from disciplines relevant to the goals of the training program, including psychology, sociology, communication, psychiatry, social work, and health economics. The program will be directed and run at the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA), a multidisciplinary center devoted to treatment, prevention, and epidemiological research on alcohol and other substance use disorders. The UNM Department of Psychology and the Mind Research Network (MRN), a private, non-profit neuroimaging center on the UNM campus, are important contributing partners. CASAA investigators have a strong record of research on effective models for prevention and treatment to reduce alcohol-related harm, research on active ingredients of treatment and underlying mechanisms of change, and dissemination/diffusion research. The strong human neuroscience group at the MRN brings complementary research skills to the training program. The present application requests five more years of funding for the UNM training program, which was initiated in July, 2010.
Risky drinking and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) have serious impacts on health and safety. Development of effective means to prevent negative consequences of heavy drinking, treat AUDs, and better understand the mechanisms that underlie behavior change have the potential to improve individual lives and enhance societal functioning. The proposed training program draws on multiple disciplines to prepare a new generation of researchers to investigate the psychological, social, and biological mechanisms that underpin processes of change; apply this knowledge to developing and testing new models for prevention and treatment; and apply these models to underserved populations.
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