Testing a Substance Abuse Prevention for Cherokee Early Adolescents

描述(由申请者提供)：印第安人的青少年滥用药物的比率高于所有其他青少年。美洲印第安人青年被认为存在持续威胁生命的问题，如事故、慢性肝病、凶杀和因药物滥用而自杀。与非美洲印第安人早期青少年相比，印第安人早期青少年在青春期过渡期间使用药物的风险更高。在美洲土著印第安人青年中，物质使用被归因于较年长的青少年与较年轻的同龄人进行大量的社交活动和影响。切罗基人是美国第二大部落，在美洲印第安人中酗酒和吸毒的比例很大。在切诺基民族的家乡俄克拉荷马州，据估计，有2万名青少年有酗酒和吸毒问题。在过去的几十年里，印第安人青年的物质使用研究领域一直被调查方法所主导，这些调查方法未能回答有关酒精和毒品的使用如何融入印第安人生活的重要问题。作为美洲土著印第安人保护因素的价值观需要被整合、衡量和深思熟虑地审查是否有可能影响药物使用预防。目前，还没有关于对美洲印第安人早期青少年使用具有文化能力的物质使用预防的研究。这项名为“对切罗基早期青少年进行物质滥用预防测试”研究的总体目标是研究切罗基六年级学生在过渡到高危时期--中学时，使用一种创新的、文化上适合的、以学校为基础的药物使用预防[切诺基谈话圈(CTC)]的可行性(具体目标#1)。使用双条件准实验设计，将CTC与标准物质使用教育进行比较，评估CTC对物质使用涉入(通过增益-Q衡量)和切诺基人自立(通过切诺基自立问卷衡量)的影响(具体目标2)。这项准实验研究的数据将被用来估计预防效果的大小(具体目标3)，这是在提出一项跨部落、跨年龄、多地点研究美洲原住民青年药物使用预防之前必要的关键步骤。PI是美洲印第安人(切诺基)部落的一名成员，他做了十多年的研究，开发和测试了CTC和切诺基人自力更生问卷。 公共卫生相关性：美洲印第安人早期青少年中的药物滥用预防研究是不存在的，尽管有证据表明药物滥用在这一人群中是一个日益严重的问题。这项研究将探讨在切诺基六年级学生过渡到中学这一高危时期时，使用一种创新的、文化上合适的学校药物使用预防措施的可行性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Substance abuse rates among Native American Indian youth are higher than among all other youth. Native American Indian youth are considered to be at risk for continuing life-threatening problems such as accidents, chronic liver disease, homicide, and suicide as a result of substance abuse. Native American Indian early adolescents have higher risk for substance use as they transition along the periods of adolescence than non-Native American Indian early adolescents. Among Native American Indian youth, substance use has been attributed to the large amount of social interaction and influence from older adolescent youth with their younger peers. Cherokees are the second-largest tribe in the U.S., accounting for a large percentage of alcohol and drug abuse among Native American Indians. In Oklahoma, the home of Cherokee Nation where the study will occur, it is estimated that 20,000 adolescents have alcohol and drug abuse issues. During the last several decades, the field of substance use research among Native American Indian youth has been dominated by survey approaches that fail to answer important questions about how the use of alcohol and drugs is integrated into the lives of Native American Indians. The values that serve as protective factors for Native American Indians need to be integrated, measured and thoughtfully examined for potential to influence substance use prevention. At this time, there is no research addressing the use of culturally competent substance use prevention for Native American Indian early adolescents. The overall objective of the "Testing a Substance Abuse Prevention for Cherokee Early Adolescents" study is to examine the feasibility (Specific Aim #1) of using an innovative culturally appropriate school- based substance use prevention [Cherokee Talking Circle (CTC)] for Cherokee 6th graders as they transition to middle school, a period of high vulnerability. The impact of the CTC on substance use involvement (measured by the GAIN-Q) and Cherokee self-reliance (measured by the Cherokee Self-Reliance Questionnaire) will be assessed (Specific Aim #2) using a two- condition quasi-experimental design, comparing the CTC to standard substance use education. Data from this quasi-experimental study will be used to estimate the prevention effect size (Specific Aim #3), a critical step necessary before proposing a cross-tribal, cross-age, multi-site study examining substance use prevention in Native American youth. The PI is a Native American Indian (Cherokee) tribal member who has done more than a decade of research developing and testing the CTC and the Cherokee Self-Reliance Questionnaire. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Substance abuse prevention studies among Native American Indian early adolescents are non- existent, despite evidence that substance abuse is an increasing problem in this population. This study will examine the feasibility of using an innovative culturally appropriate school-based substance use prevention for Cherokee 6th graders as they transition to middle school, a period of high vulnerability.