New Methods in Basic and Applied Research on Drug Use Risk

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed K05 RSA will focus on the following three areas to improve the candidate's career development: 1) learning more about genetics and brain circuitry related to the development of antisocial behavior (AB) and drug use; 2) further developing the use of the Family Check Up intervention for use with different age groups and at-risk populations; and 3) learning more about the interface among research-based intervention programs, community needs, and social policy. Skills acquired from the career development plan should have both short- and long-term applications to the candidate's research. The candidate proposes to conduct four funded programs of research. Program I (NIMH R01-50907) seeks to advance our understanding of the precursors of early- and late-starting pathways of antisocial behavior (AB) by following a cohort of low-income, male youth from ages 1.5 to 18. Program II, the Early Steps - Multisite (ES-M) Project (NIDA R01 016110), is a prevention study targeting family and extra-familial influences in early and middle childhood to reduce risk for early-onset AB, drug use, and HIV risk. Program III, the Parental Involvement and Extra-Familial Contexts Project (NIDA R01 023245), uses families from the ES-M sample to examine the contributions of neighborhood, school, and after-school care contexts in relation to drug use risk during middle childhood, and how parental involvement in these extra-familial settings may attenuate effects of extra-familial risk factors on drug use risk. Program IV represents two studies that have emerged as extensions from the Early Growth and Development Study (EGDS, NICHD R01 12709). Both studies (NICHD R01 042608 & NIDA R01 020585) use an adoption design to examine mechanisms by which genetic factors, prenatal drug exposure, and parent-child relationships influence developmental pathways leading to problem behavior and social competence in early childhood. The purpose of the K05 RSA is to permit the candidate to conduct these four programs of research and broaden his understanding basic and applied issues related to the prevention of drug use risk from early childhood through adolescence.