African American Offenders: Drug Use, Mental Health and HIV Risk

描述(由申请者提供)：该K08奖项的主要目标是进一步发展药物滥用研究方面富有成效的独立研究事业。培训和职业发展计划将加强史蒂文斯-沃特金斯博士在囚犯初级数据收集方面的研究经验，重点是毒品使用、精神健康和艾滋病毒，从而澄清第四年和第五年R01提交的具体目标。拟议的培训目标是：(1)接受与非裔美国人健康差距有关的药物滥用、精神健康和艾滋病毒流行病学的培训；(2)进一步发展特殊人群、生物统计学和高级定量分析方面的专门知识，包括非线性、分类模型和结构方程建模；(3)使用拟议研究计划中收集的数据作为R01研究方案的试点数据。具体的培训目标与研究目标一致，并与应聘者的临床经验相辅相成。史蒂文斯-沃特金斯博士将由她的导师卡尔·勒克菲尔德博士和凯莉·奥瑟博士赞助，他们都有药物滥用和艾滋病毒研究方面的专业知识。具有重要意义的是，艾滋病毒最近被称为非裔美国人社区的一场“危机”。拟议研究计划的总体目标是更好地了解毒品使用、心理健康和即将重返社区的非洲裔美国男性囚犯中艾滋病毒风险之间的复杂和动态关系。具体目标是(1)通过进行全面的文献回顾并利用生物静力学多变量分析技术结合现有数据设计分析模型，探索非裔美国男性囚犯的药物使用、抑郁和焦虑症状以及艾滋病毒危险行为；(2)确定205名被监禁的非洲裔美国男性囚犯中毒品使用障碍、焦虑、抑郁障碍和HIV性危险行为的患病率、发病率和预测因素；(3)调查205名出狱后利用个人和卫生资源的非裔美国男性的知识、模式、感知的文化和社区障碍及其与药物滥用康复和艾滋病毒危险行为的关系。基线数据将在监狱中收集，当参与者在3个月后在社区获释时，将进行后续数据收集。拟议的研究计划将向高危人群提供艾滋病毒检测和咨询，这些人群历来难以从事研究和艾滋病毒检测，因此可能会阻止艾滋病毒的传播，从而对公共健康产生重大影响。候选人的直接职业目标包括在K08资助结束时发表手稿和R01资助，最终的职业目标是成为一名独立的临床药物滥用研究人员。该提案包括一支优秀的指导团队，以及一项可行的培训和研究计划，利用斯伯丁大学和肯塔基大学提供的资源。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary goal of this K08 award is to further develop a productive independent research career in drug abuse research. The training and career development plan will enhance Dr. Stevens-Watkins's research experience in primary data collection with prisoners focused on drug use, mental health, and HIV thus resulting in the clarification of the specific aims of an R01 submission in years 4 and 5. The proposed training objectives are: (1) to receive training in the epidemiology of drug abuse, mental health, and HIV as they relate to health disparities among African Americans; (2) to further develop expertise in research with special populations, biostatistics, and advanced quantitative analyses including non-linear, categorical models, and structural equation modeling; (3) to use the data collected in the proposed research plan as pilot data for an R01 research proposal. The specified training goals are aligned with the research aims and compliment the clinical experience of the candidate. Dr. Stevens-Watkins will be sponsored by her established mentors, Drs. Carl Leukefeld and Carrie Oser, both with expertise in drug abuse and HIV research. Of high significance, HIV has recently been termed a "crisis" in the African American community. The overall goal of the proposed research plan is to better understand the complex and dynamic relationship between drug use, mental health, and HIV risk among African American male prisoners nearing community re-entry. The specific aims are (1) to explore drug use, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and HIV risk behaviors among African American male inmates by conducting a thorough literature review and devising an analytical model using biostatics multivariate analytic techniques with available data; (2) to identify prevalence, incidence, and predictors of drug use disorders, anxiety, depressive disorders and HIV sexual risk behaviors among 205 incarcerated African American men; (3) to examine the knowledge, patterns, and perceived cultural and community barriers to utilizing individual and health resources and their relationship to substance abuse recovery and HIV risk behaviors among 205 African American men upon release from prison. Baseline data will be collected in prison and follow-up data collection will occur when participants have been released in the community after 3-months. The proposed research plan will offer HIV testing and counseling to an at-risk population that has historically been difficult to engage in research and HIV testing, subsequently significantly impacting public health by possibly preventing the spread of HIV. The candidate's immediate career goals include published manuscripts and R01 funding by the end of K08 funding, with an ultimate career goal of becoming an independent clinical drug abuse researcher. This proposal includes an outstanding mentoring team, as well as a feasible training and research plan utilizing resources offered by both Spalding University and the University of Kentucky.