Childhood Precursors to Alcohol Involvement

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary goal of this five-year career development award is to further develop my expertise in the etiology and measurement of alcohol involvement (use and problems). To reach this immediate career goal, I will receive training in four major domains: (1) the relationship between antisocial and alcohol behavior; (2) the relationship between psychophysiology and alcohol behavior; (3) multivariate methodology for measuring alcohol involvement; and (4) the design and implementation of prospective, longitudinal investigations. The proposed training plan will include the completion of structured coursework and workshops, participation in conferences and interdisciplinary consortiums, and regular mentoring from experts in the alcohol who specialize in methodology, longitudinal research design, and the relationship of psychophysiology, antisocial behavior, and additional forms of psychopathology to alcohol problems. This training builds upon my doctoral training in methodology, my clinical training in psychopathology, and my research background on risk and protective factors for alcohol problems. Ultimately, my long-term career goal is to be a tenure track faculty member in a major research institution examining the etiology of alcohol involvement. The training plan is complemented by a research project designed to prospectively examine childhood risk factors and protective factors for alcohol involvement. Data will be collected on 35 year olds from an original sample of 1,795 participants from the island of Mauritius who have been prospectively followed since age 3 years. Three classes of childhood risk factors (psychophysiology, temperament, and behavior) and three classes of protective factors (variant alcohol metabolizing enzyme alleles, female gender, and Muslim upbringing) are hypothesized to relate to various dimensions of alcohol involvement. Four types of multivariate statistical procedures (multiple and canonical regression, structural equation modeling, and latent class analysis) will be used to assess relationships among precursors and outcome variables. The potential importance of this study regarding the etiology of alcohol problems is large and might eventually help with the development of prevention and treatment programs. This career development award will enable me to transition from an Assistant Research Professor to an independent investigator and will give me the foundation for a research career in the etiology and measurement of dimensions of alcohol involvement.