Understanding the interpersonal context of HIV/HCV risk within injecting dyads

描述（由申请人提供）：本导师科学家研究发展奖（K01）的目的是为候选人提供指导和研究经验，以促进其发展成为一名独立的公共卫生研究人员，在二元研究方法方面具有特殊的方法专长。培训的目标是发展以下方面的知识和技能：1)关系理论以理解人际动态；2)双元研究方法，包括队列和干预设计；3)二进数据的先进统计技术；4)研究的伦理行为。培训活动将包括教学课程和具体讲习班、指导阅读和导师一对一辅导以及应用研究经验。候选人将接受由社会心理关系理论、二元方法、药物使用研究和药物使用人群预防科学等领域的国际知名专家组成的培训委员会的指导。提出的K01的具体研究目的是：1)在二代水平上测量人际因素并研究其与高危注射行为的关系；2)确定人际因素对外源因素与高危注射行为关联的中介和调节作用；3)研究人际因素水平的变化是否能预测高危注射行为。研究目标将通过收集注射双体（一起注射毒品的个人对）的横截面（n=300对）和纵向（n=100对）数据作为研究的一部分来完成

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this Mentored Scientist Research Development Award (K01) is to provide the candidate with mentoring and research experiences that will promote her development as an independent public health researcher with particular methodological expertise in dyadic research methods. Objectives of the training are to develop knowledge and skills in: 1) relationship theory to understand interpersonal dynamics; 2) dyadic study methods including cohort and intervention design; 3) advanced statistical techniques for dyadic data; and 4) ethical conduct of research. Training activities will include didactic courses and specific workshops, directed reading and one-on-one tutorials with mentors, and applied research experience. The candidate will receive mentorship from a Training Committee of internationally renowned experts in the fields of socio-psychological relationship theory, dyadic methods, substance use research, and prevention science for substance using populations. The specific research aims of the proposed K01 are to: 1) measure interpersonal factors and examine their association with high-risk injecting behaviors at the dyad-level; 2) determine the mediating and moderating effects of interpersonal factors on the association between factors exogenous to the dyad and high-risk injecting behaviors; and 3) examine whether changes in levels of interpersonal factors predict high- risk injecting behavior. The research aims will be accomplished by collecting a combination of cross-sectional (n=300 pairs) and longitudinal (n=100 pairs) data from injecting dyads (pairs of individuals who inject drugs together) as part of a multi-site cohort study of HIV and hepatitis C incidence in injection drug users (InC3, PI: Page). The proposed K01 research activities leverage sponsor study infrastructure to pursue questions not posed by the sponsor study by collecting data on interpersonal factors from both members of injecting dyads. Research activities are innovative because they: (1) use a novel measurement scale for interpersonal factors; (2) use dyadic data collected from pairs of individuals who inject together; and (3) will inform dyad-based prevention strategies to reduce intravenous transmission of HIV. Findings from the proposed research will position the candidate to apply for an R34 award to develop, implement, and evaluated a dyad-based risk- reduction intervention targeting interpersonal dynamics within injecting-dyads. The findings generated under the R34 will allow the subsequent submission of an R01 to test the efficacy of a full random control trail for a dyad-based intervention targeting interpersonal factors. In sum, the K01 activities will develop the candidate into a successful independent researcher with a unique methodological skill-set which combines dyadic research methods with her foundation in qualitative and quantitative epidemiological methods.