Effects of Yoga on Physiological and Behavioral Precursors of Drug Abuse

描述（由申请人提供）：本R03提案的总体目标是进行一项形成性研究和一项小型随机对照试验（RCT），以测试身体上有活力的瑜伽干预是否对高危青少年的药物使用及其行为、心理和心理生理前兆有有益的影响。越来越多的人认识到瑜伽在改善身心健康方面的有效性。然而，大多数研究都是在成年人身上进行的，并且关注的是心理和生理的临床结果。瑜伽有可能通过针对情绪调节和抑制控制技能的生物学过程来影响药物滥用的行为前体。迄今为止，还没有对这些脆弱特征对瑜伽等方法的反应性进行全面的检查，这些方法本质上是为了提高这些调节技能而设计的。因此，我们建议对瑜伽干预进行适应和测试，以研究这种身心锻炼形式如何影响药物滥用背后的心理、行为和心理生理基础。这项为期3年的研究的具体目标是：目标1。通过当地青少年顾问委员会、专家小组、焦点小组和课程预测试的输入，对现有材料进行文化和发展剪裁，开展形成性研究，开发和预测试一种体力充沛的瑜伽干预。目标2。开展一项试点随机对照试验，以评估对药物滥用前体的干预效果，并获得必要的数据，以支持全面的疗效试验。我们假设瑜伽干预会导致情绪、认知和行为调节、应对、情绪和心理生理应激反应和恢复的改善，这反过来又会调节干预对药物使用、外化行为和学习成绩的影响。干预材料将在一年级通过形成过程进行开发和预测试。在第2年和第3年，将在一个高风险青少年的小型随机对照试验中测试由此产生的剧烈瑜伽干预。在干预前和干预后，将从实验组（N=45）和对照组（N=45）中收集多评价者（学生、教师）和多方法（调查、心理生理、行政管理）数据。将收集过程和保真度数据，以记录实施情况并作为质量改进。将根据基线健康、既往用药和年龄对中介模型进行调整。此外，我们将探讨健康水平的变化是否会调节干预效果。这种积极影响高危青少年的有力瑜伽干预的应用具有高度创新性，因为它针对的是与药物使用相关的关键潜在行为、心理和心理生理机制。结果将纳入后续的R01申请，作为更大规模疗效试验的初步数据。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall aim of this R03 proposal is to conduct a formative study and a small randomized control trial (RCT) to test whether a physically vigorous yoga intervention has a beneficial impact on drug use and its behavioral, psychological, and psychophysiological precursors in high-risk adolescents. There is a growing knowledge base on the effectiveness of yoga in improving physical and emotional health. However, most studies have been conducted with adults and focused on psychological and physical clinical outcomes. Yoga has the potential to impact behavioral precursors to drug abuse by targeting biologically based processes of emotional regulation and inhibitory control skills. To date, there has been no comprehensive examination of the responsivity of these vulnerability traits to approaches such as yoga, which are by nature designed to enhance these regulatory skills. As such, we propose the adaptation and testing of a yoga intervention to examine how this mind-body form of exercise influences the psychological, behavioral, and psychophysiological substrates that underlie drug abuse. The specific aims of this 3-year study are to: Aim 1. Conduct a formative study to develop and pre-test a physically vigorous yoga intervention through cultural and developmental tailoring of existing materials with input from a local Teen Advisory Board and an Expert Panel, focus groups, and pre-testing of the curriculum. Aim 2. Conduct a pilot RCT to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention on precursors of drug abuse and obtain requisite data to support a full-scale efficacy trial. We hypothesize that the yoga intervention will lead to improved emotional, cognitive, and behavioral regulation, coping, mood, and psychophysiological stress reactivity and recovery, which, in turn, will mediate the effects of the intervention on drug use, externalizing behaviors, and school performance. Intervention materials will be developed and pre-tested through a formative process in Year 1. In Years 2 and 3, the resulting physically vigorous yoga intervention will be tested in a small RCT with high risk adolescents. Multi-rater (student, teacher) and multi-method (survey, psychophysiological, administrative) data will be collected at pre- and post-intervention from experimental (N=45) and control (N=45) groups. Process and fidelity data will be collected to document implementation and serve as a quality improvement. Adjustments to the mediation model will be made for baseline fitness, prior drug use, and age. Also, we will explore whether change in fitness level moderates intervention effects. This application of a vigorous yoga intervention to positively influence high risk youth is highly innovative in its targeting of critical underlying behavioral, psychological, and psychophysiological mechanisms shown to be related to drug use. Results will be incorporated into a subsequent R01 application as preliminary data for a larger scale efficacy trial. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The overall aim of this study is to adapt and test a vigorous yoga intervention with high-risk adolescents to examine whether this mind-body form of exercise is a viable alternative approach for prevention of drug use and abuse. This application of yoga techniques will offer new insights into ways in which mindful physical activity may positively affect stress reactivity and resilience, self regulation, coping, and other conditions associated with eventual drug abuse.