Dating Violence and HIV Prevention in Girls: Adapting Mental Health Interventions

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请是要求指导以患者为导向的研究职业发展奖（K23），这将使里佐博士继续发展她的研究方案线在预防艾滋病毒和约会暴力的高风险少女。越来越多的研究表明，约会暴力在少女感染艾滋病毒的风险中起着重要作用。家庭暴力与避孕套使用较少、首次性交年龄较小、有多个性伴侣和性接触前饮酒有关。因此，解决约会暴力和艾滋病毒风险的预防策略可能有望减少高危人群中的性风险行为。在这项拟议的研究计划中，将开发和测试一种基于认知行为的干预措施，名为“青少年关系中管理攻击性的技能”（SMART）。该方案将以未得到充分服务的青年为样本实施，因为已发现经济劣势和少数民族地位与青少年约会暴力的增加有关。干预的主要重点是解决心理健康问题（即心理困扰和行为失调），这些问题是少女约会暴力和性风险行为发展和维持的基础。Rizzo博士的培训目标是（1）提高她在艾滋病毒预防干预方面的专业知识，（2）接受青少年艾滋病毒风险方面的强化临床和研究培训，（3）获得对遭受约会暴力的少女进行研究和提供临床治疗的专业知识，（4）提高她对少数民族和经济弱势群体进行干预研究的技能，（5）发展R01级预防研究方法和统计技能，（6）接受有关专业发展问题的指导。这些培训目标将通过正式的课程和研讨会，重点临床和研究经验，并由导师团队的成员正在进行密切的研究监督相结合来实现。该K奖的培训计划将为研究预防性干预措施对年轻妇女弱势群体的影响提供必要的机会。公共卫生相关性：（见说明）：青少年约会暴力和艾滋病毒感染构成两个重大的公共卫生问题。不断发展的文献将约会暴力与艾滋病毒风险联系起来，但尚未制定现有的预防干预措施来减少约会关系中受害的少女的艾滋病毒风险行为。为这一人群制定预防计划至关重要，并符合最近的公共卫生目标。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is to request a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) that will enable Dr. Rizzo to continue to develop her programmatic line of research in the prevention of HIV and dating violence among high risk adolescent girls. A growing body of research reveals that dating violence plays a significant role in adolescent girls' HIV risk. DV has been associated with less condom use, younger age at first intercourse, having multiple sex partners and alcohol use prior to sexual encounters. Thus, prevention strategies that address dating violence and HIV risk may hold promise for reducing sexual risk behavior among a particularly at-risk population. In this proposed research plan, a cognitive-behaviorally based intervention to be named "Skills to Manage Aggression in Relationships for Teens" (SMART) will be developed and tested. The program will be implemented with a sample of underserved youth, as economic disadvantage and minority status have been found to be related to increased rates of adolescent dating violence. A primary focus of the intervention will be to address mental health problems (i.e. psychological distress and behavioral dysregulation) that underlie the development and maintenance of both dating violence and sexual risk behavior among adolescent girls. Dr. Rizzo's training goals are to (1) increase her expertise in conducting preventive interventions for HIV, (2) receive intensive clinical and research training in adolescent HIV risk, (3) acquire expertise in conducting research with, and providing clinical treatment for, adolescent girls exposed to dating violence, (4) advance her skills in intervention research with ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged populations, (5) develop R01 -level skills in prevention research methodology and statistics and (6) receive mentorship regarding professional development issues. These training goals will be achieved through a combination of formal coursework and seminars, focused clinical and research experiences, and ongoing close research supervision by members of the mentorship team. The training plan of this K-Award will provide the opportunities needed to research the effects of a preventive intervention for a vulnerable group of young women. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: (See instructions): Adolescent dating violence and HIV infection constitute two significant public health problems. A developing literature has linked dating violence to HIV risk, yet no existing preventive interventions have been developed to reduce HIV risk behaviors among adolescent girls victimized in dating relationships. The development of a prevention program for this population is crucial and is consistent with recent public health objectives.