STRESS AND RISK FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN ADOLESCENTS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The interaction between stress and the development of substance use disorders (SUD) often begins with the early experience of trauma. Individuals who experienced childhood abuse consistently report higher rates of substance use, and many of them also tend to participate in deviant and criminal behaviors. Because persons with childhood abuse are impaired in multiple social domains in addition to substance abuse, targeting this group of individuals for treatment and prevention programs will have significant socioeconomic impact. However, in order to develop more effective interventions, it is critical to understand the underlying mechanisms of association between childhood abuse and vulnerability to SUD. Using a controlled longitudinal design, this study will examine the relationships among early-life stress, HPA responsivity and vulnerability to SUD in adolescents with and without a history of childhood maltreatment by recruiting them prior to the onset of SUD. We hypothesize that a higher proportion of adolescents with childhood maltreatment will develop SUD during prospective follow-up compared withadolescents without childhood maltreatment, and that this increase in vulnerability to SUD will be mediated, at least in part, by HPA dysregulation measured at baseline. In addition to examing the association between premorbid stress and HPA dysregulation as related to susceptibility for the development of SUD, other factors that are known to influence these processes will be assessed from a multi-dimensional perspective. The identification of specific vulnerabilities and associated biological alterations will aid in the development of more focused and effective pharmacological and psychosocial interventions to reduce the risk of SUD in such youth.