Online Social Networks and Risky Sexual Behavior in Maltreated Adolescents

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一份指导研究科学家发展奖的申请。候选人的长期职业目标是成为一名独立调查员，擅长将生物心理社会模型应用于有虐待经历的个人，重点是社会媒体和社会网络分析。同伴影响已被发现在危险性活动和药物使用的发展中特别重要。受到虐待的人尤其脆弱。已发现青春期成熟与虐待相互作用，影响危险行为。早熟的青少年可能更容易受到同伴影响，尽管这可能因受虐待的经历而有所不同。社会网络的特点可能会使受虐待的青少年更容易受到伤害，而这种影响是如何通过在线互动发挥作用的，这些问题尚未得到研究。社会网络分析是检查这些文献空白的可行方法，实际上没有关于受虐待的青少年如何使用社会网络网站以及这如何影响他们参与危险行为的研究。通过检查整个青春期的这些关系，我们可以更好地了解受虐待青年的脆弱性，并为研究人员提供充分的证据，以开展针对危险性行为和药物使用的干预和预防研究。拟议的研究将收集新一波的社会网络/社会媒体数据，以检验青春期时间、同伴影响、社会网络、物质使用和危险的性行为之间的关系，这些数据来自于受虐待和比较的青少年样本。样本将取自一项正在进行的关于虐待对青少年发展的纵向研究。在四波评估中获得了青春期发育、性活动和物质使用的数据。本次K01提出的新一波数据收集将通过收集在线社交网络数据和有关青少年当前性活动和物质使用的信息来增加现有的纵向研究。为了完成拟议的研究计划，候选人将在以下四个方面接受培训：(1)社会网络分析，包括用于分析社会网络的统计方法和计算机程序；(2)社交媒体在青少年发展中的作用以及这些技术的使用如何影响青少年的人际关系和行为；(3)将虐待与危险性行为和物质使用联系起来的机制；(4)发展的生物心理社会模型，以了解虐待、青春期发展、在线社会互动是如何影响青少年的。科技助长了危险性行为和药物使用的发展。培训和研究经验将为在受虐待青少年样本中整合青春期、社会网络和风险行为的纵向研究的R01提案的发展提供基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award. The candidate's long-term career goal is to become an independent investigator with expertise in the application of biopsychosocial models to individuals with maltreatment experience with an emphasis on social media and social network analysis. Peer influence has been found to be particularly important in the development of both risky sexual activity and substance use. Individuals who have been maltreated are particularly vulnerable. Pubertal maturation has been found to interact with maltreatment to affect risk behaviors. Early maturing adolescents may be more susceptible to peer influence, although this may vary based on maltreatment experience. What has not been examined are the characteristics of social networks that may make maltreated adolescents more vulnerable, and how this influence operates via online interactions. Social network analysis is a viable method for examining these gaps in the literature and there is virtually no research on how maltreated adolescents use social network sites and how this affects their involvement in risky behavior. By examining these relationships across adolescence, we can develop a better understanding of the vulnerabilities for maltreated youth and provide researchers with well-grounded evidence to develop intervention and prevention studies targeting risky sexual behavior and substance use. The proposed study will collect a new wave of social network/social media data to examine the associations between pubertal timing, peer influence, social networks, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors in a sample of maltreated and comparison adolescents. The sample will be drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of maltreatment on adolescent development. Data on pubertal development, sexual activity, and substance use were obtained at four waves of assessment. The new wave of data collection proposed for this K01 will add to the existing longitudinal study by collecting online social network data and information about the adolescent's current sexual activity and substance use. To complete the proposed research program the candidate will pursue training in four areas: (1) social network analysis, including statistical methods and computer programs for analyzing social networks, (2) the role of social media in adolescent development and how the use of these technologies affects adolescents' interpersonal relationships and behaviors, (3) mechanisms linking maltreatment to risky sexual behaviors and substance use, and (4) biopsychosocial models of development in order to understand how maltreatment, pubertal development, online social interaction, and technology contribute to the development of risky sexual behaviors and substance use. The training and research experience will provide the foundation for the development of an R01 proposal for a longitudinal study integrating puberty, social networks, and risk behavior in a sample of maltreated youth.