Underage alcohol use in youth with autism spectrum disorder

项目摘要 现在大约有45万16-24岁的青少年患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD） 在美国，每年还有5万人年满18岁该领域正准备迎接服务需求的激增。 未成年人饮酒是一个优先的公共卫生问题， 青少年ASD ASD可能对智力残疾者的酒精使用有保护作用，但44%的ASD患者 患有ASD的青少年具有中等或高智商，一些证据表明这些ASD青少年可能处于 与神经型患者相比，酒精使用障碍的风险增加。关于未成年人的信息 需要在患有ASD的青少年中使用酒精，并最终采取有效的预防策略。拟议 研究工作会达致两个具体目标。目的1是探索，使用定性方法，未成年人饮酒 而16-20岁的ASD和非ID青年则不使用。这些年轻人中有一半 在过去的六个半月里，酒精不会（N=40）。有针对性的招生计划将确保研究 参加者包括男性和女性。目标1访谈将探讨包括使用动机在内的主题 饮酒或戒酒，酒精期望，拒绝自我效能，父母饮酒沟通，同伴使用 规范，酒精规则遵循，以及对风险的感知;在最近饮酒的人中，酒精类型 消费，如何获得，在哪里发生，何时，与谁在什么情况下，感知效果， 后果Aim 1访谈参与者还将对调查草稿提供反馈， 酒精相关结构的措施，以提高其表面效度之前，目标2的实施。 目标2将使用完善的调查，以定量调查未成年人饮酒的样本ASD与。 人口统计学匹配的神经典型比较受试者（N=190）。一半的人过去曾饮酒 六个月，一半人会弃权。将评估心理测量学，包括因素结构和内部 尺度的可靠性。接下来，结构方程技术将用于评估酒精的关系- 在神经型与ASD青年中使用酒精的相关变量，以检验假设并告知 理论发展。除了评估变量之间的关系。对于目标2，有针对性的招募 还将采用一项计划，确保研究参与者包括男性和女性。总的来说， 该项目是其咨询委员会，由患有自闭症的青少年，患有自闭症的青少年的父母和服务提供者组成。 为了招募ASD参与者，研究团队将与一家领先的国家非营利组织合作， 服务于以前被称为患有自闭症或被称为高功能ASD的人群， 波士顿医学中心自闭症项目从长远来看，这一研究方向的最终目标是 关于美国ASD青少年未成年酒精使用的一般知识以及 以证据为基础的干预措施，以防止它。

Project Summary There are now approximately 450,000 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between the ages of 16-24 in the U.S., and 50,000 more turning 18 each year. The field is bracing for a surge in demand for services. Underage alcohol use is a priority public health problem and too little is known about underage alcohol use by youth with ASD. ASD may be protective against alcohol use in individuals with intellectual disability, but 44% of youth with ASD have average or high IQ, and some evidence suggests that these ASD youth may be at increased risk for alcohol use disorder as compared to neurotypical counterparts. Information about underage alcohol use in youth with ASD, and ultimately effective prevention strategies, are needed. The proposed research will achieve two specific aims. Aim 1 is to explore, using qualitative methods, underage alcohol use and non-use by youth with ASD and without ID, ages 16-20 years old. Half of these youth will have used alcohol in the past six months and half will not (N=40). A targeted enrollment scheme will ensure that research participants include males and females. Aim 1 interviews will explore topics that include motivations to use alcohol or abstain, alcohol expectancies, refusal self-efficacy, parental communication about alcohol, peer use norms, alcohol rule-following, and perception of risks; and in those with recent alcohol use, types of alcohol consumed, how procured, where it occurred, when, with whom and in what context, perceived effects, and consequences. Aim 1 interview participants will also give feedback on a draft survey, comprising multiple measures of alcohol-related constructs, in order to improve its face validity prior to implementation in Aim 2. Aim 2 will use the refined survey to quantitatively investigate underage alcohol use in a sample of ASD vs. demographically-matched neurotypical comparison subjects (N=190). Half will have used alcohol in the past six months, and half will have abstained. Psychometrics will be assessed including factor structure and internal reliability of scales. Next, structural equation techniques will be used to evaluate relationships of alcohol- related variables with alcohol use among neurotypical vs. ASD youth in order to test hypotheses and inform theory development. In addition to assessing relationships between variables. For Aim 2, a targeted enrollment scheme to ensure that research participants include males and females will also be used. Overall, a strength of the project is its Advisory Board, comprising youth with ASD, parents of youth with ASD, and service providers. For recruitment of participants with ASD, the research team will partner with a leading national non-profit that serves the population formerly referred to as having Asperger’s, or referred to as high functioning ASD, and the Boston Medical Center Autism Program. In the long-term, the ultimate goal of this line of research is generalizable knowledge about underage alcohol use in U.S. youth with ASD and the development of evidence-based interventions to prevent it.