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

描述（由申请人提供）：该 K08 奖项的主要目标是进一步发展药物滥用研究领域富有成效的独立研究事业。培训和职业发展计划将增强 Stevens-Watkins 博士在囚犯主要数据收集方面的研究经验，重点是吸毒、心理健康和艾滋病毒，从而澄清第 4 年和第 5 年提交的 R01 的具体目标。拟议的培训目标是： (1) 接受药物滥用、心理健康和艾滋病毒流行病学方面的培训，因为它们与非裔美国人之间的健康差异有关； (2) 进一步发展特殊人群研究、生物统计学和高级定量分析（包括非线性、分类模型和结构方程建模）方面的专业知识； (3) 使用拟议研究计划中收集的数据作为R01研究计划的试点数据。指定的培训目标与研究目标一致，并补充候选人的临床经验。 Stevens-Watkins 博士将得到她的导师 Drs. Stevens-Watkins 的赞助。 Carl Leukefeld 和 Carrie Oser 都拥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接近重返社区的非洲裔美国男性囚犯吸毒、心理健康和艾滋病毒风险之间复杂而动态的关系。具体目标是（1）通过进行彻底的文献综述并使用生物统计学多变量分析技术和现有数据设计一个分析模型，探讨非洲裔美国男性囚犯的吸毒、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中吸毒障碍、焦虑症、抑郁症和艾滋病毒性危险行为的患病率、发生率和预测因素； (3) 调查 205 名出狱后的非裔美国男性在利用个人和卫生资源方面的知识、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风险行为的关系。基线数据将在监狱中收集，后续数据收集将在参与者 3 个月后被释放到社区时进行。拟议的研究计划将为历史上难以参与研究和艾滋病毒检测的高危人群提供艾滋病毒检测和咨询，从而可能阻止艾滋病毒的传播，从而对公共健康产生重大影响。候选人的近期职业目标包括在 K08 资助结束时发表手稿和 R01 资助，最终职业目标是成为一名独立的临床药物滥用研究员。该提案包括优秀的指导团队，以及利用斯伯丁大学和肯塔基大学提供的资源的可行的培训和研究计划。

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.