Substance Use in Adolescents from High-risk Neighborhoods: Risk and Protection

项目摘要：虽然研究表明，功能失调的社区往往与青少年（包括物质使用）的多种负面结果有关，但并非所有来自这些社区的人都会发展出问题行为。尽管如此，连接功能失调的社区与青少年物质使用，以及与意想不到的弹性结果的具体机制还没有充分探讨的文献。拟议的项目旨在通过研究青少年的社区、家庭及其个人特征如何与他们的物质使用产生积极和消极的关系来弥合这一差距。我们认为，通过社会传染的过程中，邻里功能障碍作为一个独立的发展风险，直接促进青少年暴露于它之间的反社会问题。我们还认为，有一个发展进程，这些反社会问题，青少年物质使用之前的学校和行为问题。最后，我们认为，这些高风险的社区和青少年的结果之间的负面关联可以减轻积极的家庭关系，这是对邻里功能障碍的保护因素。这些假设将使用斯普林菲尔德儿童发展项目（SCDP）的现有数据进行测试，该项目是一项对儿童及其母亲的社区代表性样本进行的前瞻性纵向研究。拟议的R 03将分析最后两项SCDP评估（T3和T4; N - 357，其中评估了青少年物质使用情况），并将在一年的随访期内研究社区、家庭和青少年自身的行为如何影响他们的物质使用。使用结构方程模型（SEM），我们将首先确定T3邻里功能障碍是否是青少年物质使用一年后的风险，在控制之前的物质使用和人口统计学。接下来，我们将确定青少年在T3的其他反社会问题是否介导了T3邻里功能障碍对T4物质使用的风险效应。最后，我们将确定积极的家庭关系是否对功能失调的社区风险具有保护作用，通过分别分析T3社区功能障碍，T3反社会问题和T4物质使用青少年（a）和（B）没有积极的家庭关系之间的关联。相关性：如果邻里功能障碍对物质使用的风险影响在青少年积极的家庭关系（与青少年没有这种积极的关系）减少，那么将获得支持的假设，积极的家庭关系是对邻里功能障碍的保护因素，缓冲其风险影响，减少青少年物质使用的严重公共卫生问题。因此，可以制定更明智的预防措施，并针对来自高风险社区的家庭和有吸毒风险但尚未吸毒的儿童。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project summary: While research shows that dysfunctional neighborhoods are often associated with multiple negative outcomes in adolescents (including substance use), not all individuals from such neighborhoods develop problem behaviors. Still, the specific mechanisms connecting dysfunctional neighborhoods with adolescent substance use, as well as with unexpected resilient outcomes have not been adequately explored in the literature. The proposed project aims to bridge this gap, by examining how adolescents' neighborhoods, families and their individual characteristics relate both positively and negatively to their substance use. We argue that through the process of social contagion, neighborhood dysfunction acts as an independent developmental risk, to directly promote anti-social problems among adolescents exposed to it. We also argue that there is a developmental progression of these anti-social problems, with adolescent substance use being preceded by school and behavioral problems. Finally, we argue that these negative associations between high-risk neighborhoods and adolescent outcomes can be alleviated by positive family relationships, which are a protective factor against neighborhood dysfunction. These hypotheses will be tested using the existing data from the Springfield Child Development Project (SCDP), a prospective longitudinal study of a community-representative sample of children and their mothers. The proposed R03 will analyze the final two SCDP assessments (T3 and T4; N - 357, in which adolescent substance use was assessed), and will examine how neighborhoods, families, and adolescents' own behavior impact their substance use over a one year follow up period. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), we will first determine whether T3 neighborhood dysfunction is a risk for adolescent substance use one year later, after controlling for prior substance use and demographics. Next, we will determine whether adolescents' other anti-social problems at T3 mediate the risk effect of T3 neighborhood dysfunction on T4 substance use. Finally, we will determine whether positive family relationships have protective effects against the risk of dysfunctional neighborhoods, by separately analyzing the associations between T3 neighborhood dysfunction, T3 anti-social problems, and T4 substance use in adolescents who (a) do have, and (b) do not have positive family relationships. Relevance: If risk effects of neighborhood dysfunction on substance use are lessened in adolescents with positive family relationships (compared to adolescents without such positive relationships), then support will be obtained for the hypothesis that positive family relationships are a protective factor against neighborhood dysfunction, buffering its risk effects and reducing the serious public health problem of adolescent substance use. Consequently, more informed preventive efforts can be developed and aimed at families from high-risk neighborhoods and at children who are at risk for, but have not yet engaged in substance use.