Strengthening Adolescent-Adult Networks to Reduce Youth Violence

城市环境中的男性青年承受着不成比例的暴力实施和受害负担， 这会对身体和心理健康产生负面影响。加强幼儿与成人之间的联系是一种 这是一项有前途的循证战略，旨在增加社会支持和预防青年暴力。然而研究 这表明，一个支持性的成年人的简单存在可能并不普遍提供保护，在低资源 城市社区，以及并发的社会影响可能决定风险。本提案的总体目标是 是运用社会网络分析技术来阐明青少年成人的结构和素质， 在家庭、学校和社区范围内建立支助网络，提供保护，使低收入者免受暴力侵害， 资源城市社区。研究结果将为基于社交网络的 调整“青年赋权解决方案”中的“建立代际伙伴关系”部分， 一个以证据为基础的暴力预防计划，促进社区参与，减少侵略性 行为我们将利用正在进行的研究中的数据，研究基础设施和社区合作伙伴关系 与宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡20个贫困社区的男性青少年进行了接触。在目标1中，我们 确定跨家庭、学校和社区的成人支持网络结构和关系质量， 社区环境与暴力参与呈负相关，并探讨这些机制， 网络提供保护。在目标2中，我们将设计并迭代测试一个与用户互动的社区- 基于社会网络的适应是干预，旨在加强和扩大成年人 支持网络。在目标3中，我们将对适应性YES进行试点群集随机可行性试验 对男性青少年的干预和关键的成人支持。这些目标的实现将提供关键的 深入探讨如何利用成人-成人支助网络减少城市青年暴力 环境.该提案得到了一个跨学科导师团队的支持， 在青少年暴力，社会网络分析，干预设计和临床试验实施的专业知识。与 在忠诚导师的指导和强有力的机构支持下，PI将获得必要的强化支持 导师，教学教育和研究经验，成为一个独立的调查员，支持 社会网络分析，干预设计和实施科学的职业发展目标。 这项工作将提供必要的初步数据，以支持未来的赠款申请：1）使用社交网络 分析方法，以调查如何跨社会和环境背景的多模态相互作用影响 暴力风险，以及2）在一项随机对照试验中测试基于社交网络的 暴力预防计划。PI将准备成为一个独立的医生，科学家领导 研究与NICHD的儿科创伤和危重病分支优先事项一致，以支持合作 多学科青年暴力预防和干预研究。

Male youth in urban environments bear a disproportionate burden of violence perpetration and victimization, which can negatively impact physical and mental health. Strengthening adolescent-adult connections is a promising evidence-based strategy to increase social support and prevent youth violence. However, studies suggest that the simple presence of a supportive adult may not universally confer protection in low-resource urban neighborhoods, and that concurrent social influences may dictate risk. The overall goal of this proposal is to apply social network analysis techniques to elucidate the structure and quality of adolescents' adult support networks across family, school, and community contexts that confer protection from violence in low- resource urban neighborhoods. Results will inform the design and pilot testing of a social network-based adaptation of the `building intergenerational partnerships' component of Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES), an evidence-based violence prevention program that fosters community engagement and reduces aggressive behavior. We will leverage data, research infrastructure, and community partnerships from an ongoing study engaged with male adolescents in twenty disadvantaged neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, PA. In Aim 1, we will identify adolescent-adult support network structures and relationship qualities across family, school, and community contexts inversely related to violence involvement and explore mechanisms through which these networks confer protection. In Aim 2, we will design and iteratively test a stakeholder-engaged community- based social network adaptation of the YES intervention designed to strengthen and expand adolescent-adult support networks. In Aim 3, we will conduct a pilot cluster-randomized feasibility trial of the adapted YES intervention among adolescent males and key adult supports. Completion of these aims will provide critical insights into how adolescent-adult support networks can be leveraged to reduce youth violence in urban environments. The proposal is supported by an interdisciplinary mentorship team with nationally-recognized expertise in youth violence, social network analysis, intervention design, and clinical trial implementation. With guidance from committed mentors and strong institutional support, the PI will receive the necessary intensive mentorship, didactic education, and research experience to become an independent investigator, supporting career development objectives in social network analysis, intervention design, and implementation science. This work will provide essential preliminary data to support future grant applications to: 1) use social network analysis methods to investigate how multimodal interactions across social and environmental contexts affect violence risk, and 2) to test in a cluster randomized controlled trial the effectiveness of a social network-based violence prevention program. The PI will be poised to become an independent physician-scientist leading studies aligned with NICHD's Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch priorities to support collaborative multidisciplinary youth violence prevention and intervention research.