Tobacco and Alcohol Use Trajectories in Sexual-Minority Emerging Adults

项目总结 新兴成年人，通常被称为18至25岁之间的人，1，2报告高患病率 与美国其他年龄段的人相比，过去一个月吸烟和大量饮酒的比例 性少数群体(SM；包括女同性恋者、男同性恋者和双性恋者，以及那些对同性行为有吸引力的人， 或关系)比他们的完全异性恋同龄人更有可能成为当前的 或每天吸烟者7-12，并参与大量饮酒。12-15这些性取向差异开始于 青春期7、13、16岁，并持续到人生进程的后期。17-20岁，尽管 对于SM人群的物质使用，关于新兴市场中的物质使用轨迹的研究很少 SM人群的成年期以及在这一过渡时期使用物质如何影响健康和 在较晚的成年后适应。此外，人们对早期风险的了解有限。 SM初露头角成人物质使用因素的研究因此，拟议的研究将采用发展性的 前瞻性45-47经验性地测试几个领域的早期风险和保护因素如何预测烟草 以及SM人群在成年初期的酒精使用轨迹，以及这些轨迹是如何反过来的， 与健康后果和成年后适应结果有关。分析将使用 《今日成长》研究中主要在成年初期收集的SM参与者的数据 (GUTS)，这是一项始于1996年的大型国家队列研究。具体目标是：1)估算 SM人群成年初期烟酒使用轨迹模式；2)阐明 儿童和青春期的前驱因素预测烟酒使用轨迹组 成员资格；以及3)衡量烟酒的健康后果和成人适应结果 使用轨迹组。拟议的具体目标与国家研究所的目标一致 药物滥用(NIDA)，并与NIDA确定物质特征和模式的战略计划有关 了解发展如何影响物质使用的各种风险和保护因素 最终目标是防止物质使用的启动和升级。为了促进这样的研究， 申请者将执行一项培训计划，以建立和提高其知识和技能的纵向 研究设计和数据分析、物质使用和预防研究、人类发展理论和 研究和SM健康研究。申请人将在一家机构的支持下进行拟议的研究 在匹兹堡大学资源丰富的环境中，专注于多学科的指导团队。 成功完成这项奖学金后，申请者将充分准备实现他的长期目标： 获得教职并在物质使用和药物使用方面有独立的科学研究生涯 在年轻的SM人群中进行有特色的预防。

PROJECT SUMMARY Emerging adults, often referred to as people between the ages of 18 and 25 years,1,2 report a high prevalence of past-month cigarette smoking and heavy episodic alcohol use compared to other age groups in the U.S.3-6 Sexual minorities (SM; including lesbians, gays, and bisexuals, and those with same-sex behaviors attractions, or relationships) in emerging adulthood are more likely than their completely heterosexual peers to be current or daily smokers7-12 and to engage in heavy episodic drinking.12-15 These sexual-orientation disparities begin in adolescence7,13,16 and persist into later stages of the life course.17-20 Despite pronounced disparities in substance use for SM populations, there are few investigations about substance use trajectories in emerging adulthood for SM populations and how substance use during this transitional period impacts health and adjustment in later emerging adulthood. Furthermore, there is only limited understanding about the early risk factors of substance use for SM emerging adults. Accordingly, the proposed study will employ a developmental perspective45-47 to empirically test how early risk and protective factors across several domains predict tobacco and alcohol use trajectories in emerging adulthood for SM populations, and how these trajectories are, in turn, related to health consequences and adult adjustment outcomes in later emerging adulthood. Analyses will use data from SM participants collected principally during emerging adulthood in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), a large national cohort study begun in 1996. The Specific Aims are to do the following: 1) Estimate trajectory patterns of tobacco and alcohol use for SM populations during emerging adulthood; 2) Elucidate antecedents from childhood and adolescence that predict tobacco and alcohol use trajectory group membership; and 3) Measure the health consequences and adult adjustment outcomes of tobacco and alcohol use trajectory groups. The proposed Specific Aims are consistent with the goals of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and relate to NIDA's strategic plan to identify the characteristics and patterns of substance use and to understand how development influences the various risk and protective factors for substance use with the ultimate goal of preventing the initiation and escalation of substance use. To facilitate such research, the applicant will execute a training plan that builds and improves upon his knowledge and skills in longitudinal study design and data analysis, substance use and prevention research, human development theories and research, and SM health research. The applicant will conduct the proposed research with support from a dedicated and multidisciplinary mentorship team in a resource-rich environment at the University of Pittsburgh. Upon successful completion of this fellowship, the applicant will be well-poised to meet his long-term goals of attaining a faculty position and having an independent scientific research career in substance use and prevention with specialties in young SM populations.