Risk Factors: Development African American Youth

描述（由申请人提供）：根据美国国立卫生研究院项目公告PA-05-093，基于NICHD早期儿童保育和青少年发展研究（NICHD SECCYD）的二级数据分析，该研究旨在对NICHD SECCYD进行二级数据分析，以复制和扩展研究结果，这些研究结果描述了慢性或短暂暴露于多种风险因素预测非裔美国青年从幼儿期到青春期早期学业成绩的途径。虽然暴露于多种社会风险因素的儿童进入学校时，往往学术技能不发达，社会情感困难更多，在上学期间远远落后于条件较好的同学，但许多来自危险环境的儿童在学校取得了成功。不幸的是，非洲裔美国儿童比他们的白人同龄人更有可能经历这样的逆境，这似乎导致了非洲裔美国人在童年中期和青春期与白人同龄人之间的成就差距越来越大。了解儿童早期和中期影响非裔美国儿童学业成功和适应的儿童、家庭和学校因素，对提高他们的学业成绩至关重要，从而提高他们成年后的机会。本研究的具体目的是：a)描述暴露于多种社会风险因素的严重程度、时间和持续时间与非裔美国儿童学业成绩和学校适应的关系程度；B)通过暴露于多种风险与儿童特征（语言、种族认同、同伴关系）、家庭特征（母亲抑郁、反应性和刺激性养育）和学校特征（师生关系）的关联，确定暴露于多种风险与青少年学业成绩和适应的关系程度；c)测试所选择的儿童、家庭和学校特征是否在非裔美国青年面临逆境时起到保护因素的作用。研究的参与者是176名非洲裔美国儿童及其家庭，他们的语言、早期读写能力、家庭和学校环境都被前瞻性地记录了从婴儿期到六年级。成长曲线分析将学术成果与反映逆境暴露程度、时间和持续时间的多个风险指数联系起来。分析将测试假设的因素是否作为中介或保护因素，将暴露于多种风险因素与学校能力联系起来。研究结果应该对影响非裔美国青少年学业成功的社会文化因素具有重要意义，并指导旨在降低风险和促进学业成功的干预工作。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed study, in response to NIH Program Announcement PA-05-093, Secondary Data Analysis Based on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD), seeks to conduct secondary data analysis of the NICHD SECCYD to replicate and extend findings that describe pathways through which chronic or transitory exposure to multiple risk factors predict academic outcomes among African American youth from early childhood to early adolescence. Although children exposed to multiple social risk factors often enter school with less developed academic skills and more socio-emotional difficulties and fall further behind their more advantaged classmates during their school years, many children from risky contexts succeed in school. African-American children, unfortunately, are more likely to experience such adversity than their white peers, and this appears to contribute to the widening achievement gap between African American and their white peers during middle childhood and adolescence. Understanding the child, family, and school factors during early and middle childhood that affect the school success and adjustment of African American children is critical to promoting their academic achievement, and thereby, opportunities as adults. The specific objectives of this study are to: a) describe the extent to which the severity, timing, and duration of exposure to multiple social risk factors relate to African American children's academic achievement and school adjustment; b) determine the extent to which exposure to multiple risks relates to youth's academic achievement and adjustment through its association with child characteristics (language, ethnic identity, peer relations), family characteristics (maternal depression, responsive and stimulating parenting), and school characteristics (teacher/student relationship); and c) test whether the selected child, family, and school characteristics serve as protective factors in the presence of adversity for African American youth. Study participants are the 176 African American children and their families in the SECCYD whose language, early literacy skills, and family and school environments have been prospectively documented since infancy through sixth grade. Growth curve analyses will relate academic outcomes to multiple risk indices that reflect extent, timing, and duration of exposure to adversity. Analyses will test whether hypothesized factors serve as mediating or protective factors in relating exposure to multiple risk factors to school competence. Study findings should have important implications for the sociocultural factors that affect the school success of African American adolescents and guide intervention efforts directed at reducing risk and promoting success in school competence.