Online Social Networks and Risky Sexual Behavior in Maltreated Adolescents

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一个指导研究科学家发展奖的申请。候选人的长期职业目标是成为一名独立调查员，拥有将生物心理社会模型应用于有虐待经历的个人的专业知识，重点是社交媒体和社交网络分析。研究发现，同伴的影响对危险性活动和药物使用的发展尤为重要。受到虐待的人特别容易受到伤害。青春期成熟已被发现与虐待相互作用，影响风险行为。早熟的青少年可能更容易受到同伴的影响，尽管这可能会因受虐待的经历而有所不同。尚未研究的是社交网络的特点，这些特点可能使受虐待的青少年更加脆弱，以及这种影响如何通过在线互动发挥作用。社会网络分析是一个可行的方法来检查这些差距在文献中，几乎没有研究如何虐待青少年使用社交网站，这如何影响他们参与危险行为。通过检查这些关系在青春期，我们可以更好地了解受虐待的青年的脆弱性，并为研究人员提供充分的证据，以制定针对危险性行为和物质使用的干预和预防研究。这项拟议的研究将收集新一波的社交网络/社交媒体数据，以研究受虐待和比较青少年样本中青春期时间、同伴影响、社交网络、物质使用和危险性行为之间的关联。样本将从一项正在进行的关于虐待对青少年发展影响的纵向研究中抽取。在四波评估中获得了关于青春期发育、性活动和物质使用的数据。为K 01提出的新一轮数据收集将通过收集有关青少年当前性活动和物质使用的在线社交网络数据和信息来增加现有的纵向研究。为了完成拟议的研究计划，候选人将在四个领域进行培训：（1）社交网络分析，包括分析社交网络的统计方法和计算机程序，（2）社交媒体在青少年发展中的作用以及这些技术的使用如何影响青少年的人际关系和行为，（3）将虐待与危险性行为和物质使用联系起来的机制，以及（4）发展的生物心理社会模型，以了解虐待、青春期发展、在线社交互动和技术如何促进危险性行为和物质使用的发展。培训和研究经验将为R 01提案的发展提供基础，该提案用于在受虐待青年样本中进行整合青春期、社交网络和风险行为的纵向研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award. The candidate's long-term career goal is to become an independent investigator with expertise in the application of biopsychosocial models to individuals with maltreatment experience with an emphasis on social media and social network analysis. Peer influence has been found to be particularly important in the development of both risky sexual activity and substance use. Individuals who have been maltreated are particularly vulnerable. Pubertal maturation has been found to interact with maltreatment to affect risk behaviors. Early maturing adolescents may be more susceptible to peer influence, although this may vary based on maltreatment experience. What has not been examined are the characteristics of social networks that may make maltreated adolescents more vulnerable, and how this influence operates via online interactions. Social network analysis is a viable method for examining these gaps in the literature and there is virtually no research on how maltreated adolescents use social network sites and how this affects their involvement in risky behavior. By examining these relationships across adolescence, we can develop a better understanding of the vulnerabilities for maltreated youth and provide researchers with well-grounded evidence to develop intervention and prevention studies targeting risky sexual behavior and substance use. The proposed study will collect a new wave of social network/social media data to examine the associations between pubertal timing, peer influence, social networks, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors in a sample of maltreated and comparison adolescents. The sample will be drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of maltreatment on adolescent development. Data on pubertal development, sexual activity, and substance use were obtained at four waves of assessment. The new wave of data collection proposed for this K01 will add to the existing longitudinal study by collecting online social network data and information about the adolescent's current sexual activity and substance use. To complete the proposed research program the candidate will pursue training in four areas: (1) social network analysis, including statistical methods and computer programs for analyzing social networks, (2) the role of social media in adolescent development and how the use of these technologies affects adolescents' interpersonal relationships and behaviors, (3) mechanisms linking maltreatment to risky sexual behaviors and substance use, and (4) biopsychosocial models of development in order to understand how maltreatment, pubertal development, online social interaction, and technology contribute to the development of risky sexual behaviors and substance use. The training and research experience will provide the foundation for the development of an R01 proposal for a longitudinal study integrating puberty, social networks, and risk behavior in a sample of maltreated youth.