Early Childhood Predictors of Adolescent Substance Use in a High Risk Sample

描述(由申请人提供)：酗酒儿童(COA)是未成年饮酒人口中一个庞大而关键的组成部分。他们有4到10倍的更大的风险患上临床上严重的酒精问题，更早地开始饮酒，并且从酒精使用到滥用的进展更快。这项应用的主要目标是从儿童早期获得关于关键风险和保护因素的关键数据，以预测以父母酗酒问题为特征的高危样本和人口统计学匹配的对照组中青少年药物使用和其他危险行为。从一般心理学文献中有充分的证据表明，早期干预在预防风险轨迹方面最有效，特别是在高危人群中。因此，从婴儿期开始了解物质使用的预测因素对于确定针对可能影响COA中物质使用风险的过程的早期干预的内容至关重要。以对物质使用具有病因学意义的发育过程为目标，并侧重于减少或加强关键风险和保护机制，可能是降低COA中药物滥用风险的一种非常有效的预防战略。这是从婴儿期开始对关键风险和保护机制(依恋、育儿质量、自我调节、行为问题)进行多方法(观察性、神经心理学、家长、儿童和教师报告)评估的唯一COA样本。预计当前申请的结果将为预防方案的时间和内容提供信息，该方案的重点是未成年人饮酒和吸毒的前体。样本将由227个(102个对照，125个COA)家庭组成，这些家庭是在婴儿时期招募的(111个女孩和116个男孩)。在12个月、18个月、24个月和36个月的儿童年龄进行了阶段显著发展结果以及潜在风险和保护机制的多方法评估，并在幼儿园、4年级、6年级和8年级进行了跟踪评估。这些孩子将进入高中，在目前的应用中，我们建议评估药物使用和其他危险行为，以及风险的近距离预测指标，如父母监督、同伴使用、犯罪和药物使用认知(预期、动机、规范)。测试的主要目标如下：检查从18个月到高中的行为问题轨迹作为青少年药物使用预测因子的作用；检查自我调节在调解或调节父母酒精问题与青春期早期到晚期药物使用轨迹之间的联系方面的作用；以及检查父母温暖/敏感和/或依恋安全感在婴儿期的作用。研究结果将用于制定针对儿童的早期干预计划 旨在降低这些高危儿童中物质使用风险的酗酒者。来自当前申请的数据将是告知这一早期干预计划的时间和内容的关键。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Children of alcoholics (COAs) are a large and critical component of the underage drinking population. They have a 4 to 10 time's greater risk of developing clinically significant alcohol problems, an earlier onset of drinking, and a more rapid progression from alcohol use to abuse. The major goal of this application is to obtain critical data regarding key risk and protective factors from early childhood to predict adolescent substance use and other risky behaviors in a high risk sample characterized by parents' alcohol problems and a demographically matched control group. There is ample evidence from the general psychological literature that early intervention is most effective in preventing trajectoris of risk, especially in high risk populations. Thus, knowledge about predictors of substance use beginning in infancy is crucial for determining the content of early intervention targeted at processes that may impact substance use risk among COAs. Targeting developmental processes that are of etiological significance for substance use and focusing on reducing or bolstering key risk and protective mechanisms may be highly effective as a prevention strategy for reducing substance abuse risk among COAs. This is the only sample of COAs with multi-method (observational, neuropsychological, parent, child, and teacher report) assessments of key risk and protective mechanisms (attachment, parenting quality, self-regulation, behavior problems) beginning in infancy. It is expected that the results from the current application will inform the timing and content of a prevention program focused on precursors of underage drinking and drug use among COAs. The sample will consist of 227 (102 controls, 125 COAs) families who were recruited in infancy (111 girls and 116 boys). Multi-method assessments of stage salient developmental outcomes as well as potential risk and protective mechanisms were conducted at 12, 18, 24, and 36 months of child age, with follow-up assessments in kindergarten, 4th, 6th, and 8th grades. These children will be entering high school and in the current application we propose to assess substance use and other risky behaviors as well as proximal predictors of risk such as parental monitoring, peer use, delinquency, and substance use cognitions (expectancies, motives, norms). Key aims tested will be as follows: to examine the role of trajectories of behavior problems from 18 months to high school as predictors of adolescent substance use; to examine the role of self-regulation as mediating or moderating the association between parents' alcohol problems and trajectories of substance use from early to late adolescence; and to examine the role of parental warmth/sensitivity and/or attachment security in infancy. The results will be used to develop an early intervention program for children of alcoholics designed to reduce substance use risk among these high risk children. Data from the current application will be critical to inform the timing and content of this early interventio program.