Women, Methamphetamine and Sex

描述(由申请人提供)： 这项申请的目标是将申请者培养成一名混合方法研究员，专门研究滥用药物的妇女及其健康和情感健康。为了实现这一目标，布朗博士将在她作为医学人类学家和有成就的定性研究人员的背景的基础上，进行定量方法和公共卫生方面的培训(通过公共卫生硕士学位)。布朗博士还将就女性使用甲基苯丙胺(MA)和性暴力史对她们的性危险行为的影响进行研究。布朗博士的研究目标是：1)定性地调查女性吸毒者将她们的性经历与她们的吸毒和/或她们的生活经历联系起来的方式；2)定量分析女性吸毒者的性危险行为、药物滥用和生活经历之间的纵向关系。为了实现第一个目标，布朗博士将对大约30名住院治疗中使用MA的女性进行深入的定性研究(包括为期三年的跟踪研究)。为了实现第二个目标，布朗博士将对玛丽-林恩·布莱希特博士的甲基苯丙胺滥用：自然历史和治疗效果数据集进行二次分析，其中包括关于女性(N=201)性行为危险行为、药物滥用和生活经历的自然历史数据。这两项研究的结果将指导R01应用程序的开发。布朗博士将由MA专家理查德·罗森博士、药物滥用女性专家维维安·布朗博士和统计学家伊林·瑟尔博士指导。候选人还将接受药物滥用治疗和研究、妇女健康和研究方法方面的知名专家小组的广泛咨询。最近，由于在一名男同性恋吸毒者身上发现了一种新的艾滋病毒株，MA与性的相互作用受到了全国的关注。MA可能对免疫系统、病毒复制和性行为有独特的影响。显然，需要对这种药物如何影响性行为进行更多的研究，特别是在这方面研究不足的女性中。考虑到滥用MA等物质的妇女通常有多种因素(例如，暴力和虐待史)，使她们面临做出糟糕的性决策的风险，更深入地了解妇女MA使用者如何概念化她们的性行为和经历，可能有助于为这一妇女群体制定干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this application is to develop the applicant into a mixed methods researcher specializing in substance-abusing women and their health and emotional well-being. To accomplish this objective, Dr. Brown will build upon her background as a medical anthropologist and accomplished qualitative researcher by undertaking training in quantitative methodologies and public health (via an MPH). Dr. Brown will also conduct research on the impact of women's methamphetamine (MA) use and histories of sexual violence on their sex-risk behaviors. Dr. Brown's research aims are: 1) to investigate qualitatively the ways in which women MA users relate their sexual experiences to their drug use and/or their life experiences, and 2) to analyze quantitatively the longitudinal relationships between sex-risk behaviors, substance abuse, and life experiences among women MA users. To achieve the first aim, Dr. Brown will conduct an in-depth qualitative study (including a three-year follow-up study) with approximately 30 MA-using women in residential treatment. To achieve the second aim, Dr. Brown will conduct a secondary analysis of Dr. Mary-Lynn Brecht's Methamphetamine Abuse: Natural History and Treatment Effects dataset, which includes natural history data on women's (N=201) sex-risk behaviors, substance abuse, and life experiences. Results from the two studies will guide the develop of an R01 application. Dr. Brown will be mentored by Drs. Richard Rawson, an expert on MA; Vivian Brown, an expert on substance-abusing women, and Yih-lng Hser, an expert statistician. The candidate will also receive extensive consultation from a prominent group of experts in substance abuse treatment and research, women's health, and research methodologies. The interaction of MA and sex has recently received national attention due to a new strain of HIV detected in a gay male MA user. MA may have unique influences on the immune system, viral replication, and sexual behaviors. Clearly, more research needs to be done on how this drug affects sexual behaviors, particularly among women who have been understudied in this regard. Considering that women who abuse substances such as MA typically have multiple factors (e.g., histories of violence and abuse) placing them at risk for poor sexual decision-making, a more in-depth understanding of how women MA users conceptualize their sexual behaviors and experiences could assist in developing interventions for this group of women.