Rural Methamphetamine-Abusing Parents and Their Children

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的探索性发展项目将研究中西部农村滥用甲基苯丙胺的父母及其学龄儿童。甲基苯丙胺的生产和滥用是美国农村地区日益严重的问题，不仅影响个人，而且影响整个家庭。农村执法人员以及卫生、精神卫生和儿童福利专业人员越来越多地遇到生活在生产和滥用甲基苯丙胺的家庭中的儿童。这些儿童患精神健康和药物滥用疾病的风险很高。要为农村儿童及其家庭提供有效的预防和干预服务，我们必须进一步了解与甲基苯丙胺滥用有关的家庭生态、社会化实践和父母与儿童的信仰体系。拟议研究的目标是通过家庭生态学资料描述与父母滥用甲基苯丙胺有关的父母和儿童信仰系统；以及儿童和父母的功能（发展、心理健康和药物滥用）。具体目标是：1)描述涉及甲基苯丙胺滥用的农村家庭的物质和社会生态；2)描述父母对其甲基苯丙胺滥用及其对子女的影响的社会化信念和做法；3)描述儿童对甲基苯丙胺滥用的经历和信念及其对他们生活的影响；和功能;4)探索在家庭中出现的任何模式，特别是关于儿童的潜在风险和儿童药物使用和精神健康问题的保护因素。我们从生态学的角度来实现这些目标。我们使用混合方法设计，主要是定性的，但也包括一些定量的方法。深入的、半结构化的访谈将提供对父母及其子女的信仰和经历的丰富描述。家庭生态方面的资料将通过审查儿童福利调查报告和家访加以补充。关于儿童和父母功能的信息将从结构化的临床仪器中获得。这种多元化策略将使我们能够检查与家庭背景以及儿童和父母功能有关的父母和儿童信仰和经验的模式。这种情境化的描述是确定风险和保护因素的第一步，这些因素可以为预防和干预服务的发展提供信息，这些服务将在未来的RO1中进行审查。甲基苯丙胺的生产和滥用是美国农村社区日益严重的公共卫生问题，不仅影响个人，而且影响整个社区。这项研究将检查儿童的心理健康功能。这类信息对于制定和制订有效的预防措施至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed exploratory-developmental project will study rural, Midwestern methamphetamine-abusing parents and their school-aged children. Methamphetamine production and abuse is a serious and growing problem in rural communities in the U.S. affecting not just individuals, but whole families. Rural law enforcement officers and health, mental health, and child welfare professionals increasingly encounter children living in homes where methamphetamine is produced and abused. These children are at high risk for developing mental health and substance abuse disorders. To elaborate effective prevention and intervention services for rural children and their families, it is critical to increase our understanding of family ecologies, socialization practices, and parent and child belief systems related to methamphetamine abuse. The goal of the proposed research is to describe parent and child belief systems related to parent methamphetamine abuse contextualized by information on family ecology; and child and parent functioning (development, mental health and substance abuse). The specific aims are to: 1) describe the physical and social ecologies of rural families involved with methamphetamine abuse, 2) describe parents' socialization beliefs and practices about their methamphetamine abuse and its effects on their children; and functioning, 3) describe children's experiences and beliefs about methamphetamine abuse and its effects on their lives; and functioning; 4) explore any patterns emerging across families especially in regard to potential child risk and protective factors for children's substance use and mental health problems. We approach these aims from an ecological perspective. We use a mixed methods design which is primarily qualitative but includes some quantitative methods as well. In-depth, semi-structured interviews will provide rich descriptions of the beliefs and experiences of parents and their children. Information on family ecology will be supplemented through examination of child welfare investigative reports and home visits. Information on child and parent functioning will be obtained from structured, clinical instruments. This pluralistic strategy will allow us to examine patterns of parent and child beliefs and experiences in relation to family contexts, and child and parent functioning. Such contextualized descriptions are the first steps toward identifying risk and protective factors that can inform the development of preventive and intervention services to be examined in a future RO1 to NIDA. Methamphetamine production and abuse is a serious and growing public health problem in rural communities in the U.S. affecting not just individuals, but whole communities. This research will examine children's mental health functioning. Such information is critical to the development and elaboration of effective prevention interventions.