ETIOLOGY AND CONSEQUENCES OF ADOLESCENT DRUG USE

这是K05高级科学家奖的竞争性延续申请。主要目标是继续和扩大以下方面的研究：(1)青少年吸毒的发病、稳定性和变化的风险和保护因素；(2)药物使用途径的检测模型；(3)吸毒对青少年功能的影响。拟开展的研究将在原有研究的基础上进行扩展，包括：(1)纳入城区青少年和静脉吸毒儿童的样本；(2)药物倾向特征的代际和代际传递研究；（三）艾滋病传播行为和艾滋病防治相关因素的调查。为了实现这些目标，正在进行一项综合研究方案，涉及五个大型项目：(I)对从1-10岁开始在五个时间点观察的儿童及其母亲进行纵向研究；（II）对项目一中原研究儿童的两岁后代进行多代研究；对市中心非裔美国人和波多黎各青少年的研究；对居住在南美洲哥伦比亚的青少年及其母亲的研究；（五）艾滋病毒阳性和阴性静脉注射毒品的父亲及其子女的研究。这个综合研究项目的主要意义在于，它解决了药物领域的许多关键问题，例如，在童年到青年成年的整个发展过程中，药物使用的风险是什么；如何防范这些风险；风险和保护因素如何在最有可能参与毒品或其他问题行为的人群中发挥作用，包括那些与艾滋病传播有关的行为；如何才能阻止风险从一代传递到下一代？以及如何避免或减轻吸毒的后果。K05将使我能够将我的全部时间和精力投入到研究目标中，如实质性和方法的发展，与其他纵向研究的调查人员合作，指导活动，包括指导高中和研究生，医学院学生和初级教师。

This is a competing continuation application for a K05 Senior Scientist Award. The major goals are to continue and extend research on: (1) risk and protective factors involved in onset, stability and change in adolescent drug use; (2) testing models of pathways to drug use; and (3) consequences of drug use on young adult functioning. The proposed research will expand on and extend prior research by: (1) inclusion of samples of inner city youngsters and children of IV drug abusers; (2) study of intra- and intergenerational transmission of drug-prone characteristics; and (3) examination of factors related to AIDS transmission behavior and to coping with AIDS. In order to achieve these goals, an integrated program of research is underway involving five large-scale projects: (I) A longitudinal study of children and their mothers seen at five points in time beginning at ages 1-10; (II) A multigenerational study of two- year-old offspring of the original study child in Project I; (III) A study of inner city African-American and Puerto Rican adolescents; (IV) A study of adolescents and their mothers living in Columbia, South America; and (V) a study of HIV plus and HIV minus intravenous drug using fathers and their children. The major significance of this program of integrated research is that it addresses many critical issues in the drug field, e.g., what are the risks for drug use throughout the developmental span of childhood to young adulthood; what can protect against these risks; how do risk and protective factors operate in populations most likely to become involved in drug or other problem behaviors, including those implicated in the spread of AIDS; how can one break the transmission of risk from one generation to the next; and how can the consequences of drug use be averted or lessened. The K05 will enable me to devote my full time and energy to research goals such as substantive and methodological development, collaboration with investigators in other longitudinal studies, mentoring activities including guidance of high school and graduate students, medical students, and junior faculty.