Women, Methamphetamine and Sex

描述（由申请人提供）： 这项申请的目的是将申请人发展成为一名专门研究滥用药物的妇女及其健康和情感幸福的混合方法研究人员。为了实现这一目标，布朗博士将建立在她的背景作为一个医学人类学家和完成定性研究人员进行定量方法和公共卫生（通过公共卫生硕士）的培训。布朗博士还将研究妇女使用甲基苯丙胺（MA）和性暴力史对其性风险行为的影响。布朗博士的研究目标是：1）定性调查的方式，其中妇女MA用户将他们的性经验，他们的药物使用和/或他们的生活经验，和2）定量分析的纵向关系性风险行为，药物滥用，和生活经验之间的妇女MA用户。为了实现第一个目标，布朗博士将对大约30名接受住院治疗的使用甲基苯丙胺的妇女进行深入的定性研究（包括一项为期三年的随访研究）。为了实现第二个目标，Brown博士将对Mary-Lynn布雷希特博士的甲基苯丙胺滥用：自然史和治疗效果数据集进行二次分析，该数据集包括女性（N=201）性风险行为，药物滥用和生活经历的自然史数据。这两项研究的结果将指导R 01应用程序的开发。布朗博士将由MA专家理查德罗森博士、滥用药物妇女问题专家维维安·布朗和统计学家Yih-Rawson Hser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著名专家组的广泛咨询。MA和性的相互作用最近受到了全国的关注，因为在一名男同性恋MA使用者中检测到了一种新的HIV病毒株。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等药物的妇女通常有多种因素（例如，暴力和虐待的历史）使她们面临不良性决策的风险，更深入地了解女性MA使用者如何概念化她们的性行为和经历，可以帮助为这一群体的妇女制定干预措施。

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.