Cultural Stress, Stress Response, and Substance Use among Hispanic Adolescents

这项拟议的研究将审查在西班牙裔青年中，文化相关的影响的程度 酒精/药物使用和行为问题的压力源是由生理应激反应调节的。之前 研究已经建立了生理应激反应的心理、社会和生物途径 加剧酒精/毒品的使用和行为问题。尚不清楚的是，文化压力源在多大程度上 在其他压力源之上，预测生理应激反应，以及文化压力源 对酒精/药物的使用产生间接影响，并通过生理应激反应来引导问题。这 这一问题对预防科学来说很重要，因为很少有干预措施被开发来抵消 文化应激源的影响，我们的结果将提供关于这种 需要采取干预措施--以及此类干预措施应侧重的保护机制。 我们建议一项为期3年的加速纵向队列研究，包括两个队列，一个从第七个队列开始 一年级和一年级开始，以实现研究目标并检验研究假设。一个 加速纵向设计包括多个年龄队列，其中每个队列从不同的年龄开始，并且 每一次都被跟踪相同的时间量。这样的设计使我们能够检查五年的发展 通过仅仅三年的数据收集。我们将在洛杉矶招募和跟踪300名西班牙裔7年级和9年级学生 洛杉矶和迈阿密-戴德县。青少年将被跟踪3年，并在两个宏观方面进行评估 (每6个月实施一次较长的测量)和微观(使用较短测量的每日测量突发 以及用于皮质醇检测的唾液样本采集)。我们将研究三个证据的缓和效果- 基于保护机制--家庭功能、生活技能、文化资产和族裔社会化-- 文化应激对生理应激反应和酒精/药物使用的直接和中介影响 品行问题。这些缓和和缓和的调解分析将指出具体的机制 这应该在预防计划中有针对性。这一信息对于缩小 西班牙裔青少年的行为问题和酗酒/吸毒问题。

The proposed study will examine the extent to which, among Hispanic youth, the effects of culturally related stressors on alcohol/drug use and conduct problems are mediated by physiological stress responses. Prior work has established the psychosocial and biological pathways through which physiological stress responses potentiate alcohol/drug use and conduct problems. What is not known is the extent to which cultural stressors, over and above other sources of stress, predict physiological stress responses, and whether cultural stressors exert an indirect effect on alcohol/drug use and conduct problems through physiological stress responses. This question is important for prevention science because few interventions have been developed to offset the effects of cultural stressors, and our results will provide essential information regarding whether such interventions are needed – as well as the protective mechanisms on which such interventions should focus. We propose a 3-year accelerated longitudinal cohort study with two cohorts, one beginning in the seventh grade and one beginning in the ninth grade, to carry out the study aims and to test the study hypotheses. An accelerated longitudinal design includes multiple age cohorts, where each cohort starts at a different age and each is followed for the same amount of time. Such a design allows us to examine five years of development through only three years of data collection. We will recruit and follow 300 Hispanic 7th and 9th graders in Los Angeles and Miami-Dade counties. Adolescents will be followed for 3 years and assessed at both macro (longer measures administered every 6 months) and micro (daily measurement bursts using shorter measures and saliva sample collection for cortisol assays). We will examine the moderating effects of three evidence- based protective mechanisms – family functioning, life skills, cultural assets, and ethnic socialization – on the direct and mediated effects of cultural stress on physiological stress responses and on alcohol/drug use and conduct problems. These moderation and moderated mediation analyses will indicate the specific mechanisms that should be targeted within prevention programs. This information is critical to decreasing disparities in conduct problems and alcohol/drug use among Hispanic adolescents.