Preventing Alcohol and Other Drug Use and Violence among Latino Youth

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Preventing Alcohol and Other Drug Use and Violence among Latino Youth Project Summary/Abstract This K01 research and training award advances my long-term goal of developing interventions designed to target alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and violence among Latino adolescents in the United States. Adolescent AOD use and violence are profoundly interrelated as evidence clearly indicates that adolescent AOD users are more likely to enact violence and that both acute intoxication and chronic use are related to aggression. Moreover, results from prospective studies suggest that youth involvement in violence also predicts subsequent AOD use. Latino early adolescents (ages 11 to 14) are disproportionally at risk to use alcohol and take part in violent behavior. And yet, there remains a critical need for the development of readily-scalable, preventative interven- tions that target AOD use and violence among Latino youth. The proposed research plan focuses on adapting an empirically-supported AOD use intervention (keepin' it REAL [kiR]) to include a focus on violence and, in turn, testing the adapted preventative intervention to examine its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects. The proposed multidisciplinary training plan is designed to assist me in developing the necessary skills to effectively function as an independent researcher and carry out high-impact translational research. Specifically, this will include training in the use of qualitative methods to inform the adaptation and development of interventions, the process of systematically adapting/developing interventions, and, finally, the testing of interventions and preven- tion outcomes research. My training plan is directly linked to the three study aims. In Aim 1, I will conduct focus group interviews designed to inform the adaptation of kiR to include a focus on violence prevention. In Aim 2, I will build upon this formative research by adapting kiR to incorporate a focus on youth violence and violence prevention. And, in Aim 3, I will lead a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which the adapted intervention is tested in order to assess the feasibility/acceptability of the adapted intervention and assess whether a signal of efficacy is present for AOD use and violence outcomes. The contribution of the proposed research is expected to be the development of a readily-scalable, multicomponent preventative intervention for AOD use and violence among Latino early adolescents that can be tested in a fully-powered RCT (R01). This study addresses a signif- icant gap in prevention science among a large and rapidly-growing minority group experiencing multiple, inter- related health disparities. Moreover, this K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award will provide me with the training, research experience, and preliminary data necessary to make the leap to independent investi- gator status. Such experience and training is foundational in my effort to build upon my prior research in ways that can translate into intervention research projects designed to yield real-world benefits.