Indices of Exposure and Vulnerability for Predicting Alcohol-Related Problems

描述（由申请人提供）：本小额资助研究奖（R03）申请要求两年的二级数据分析支持，以开发区域和个人暴露和脆弱性指数，可用于早期酒精使用和酒精相关问题决定因素的纵向研究。虽然对酒精滥用危险因素的研究很普遍，但这项研究及其产生的模型并没有很好地整合。我们对暴露与脆弱性之间的相互作用所知甚少，对在不同背景下（例如，在区域、宏观层面和个人、微观层面）测量的风险因素的相对影响所知甚少。综合宏观和微观层面的风险和脆弱性模型，可以更深入地了解风险因素之间的相互作用，更有效地治疗和预防与酒精有关的问题。拟议的研究计划将a)发展区域和个人理论模型，以衡量接触酒精使用的机会和早期酒精使用的脆弱性以及酒精相关问题的发展；B)在青少年纵向样本中测试这些模型及其预测酒精使用行为的能力；c)利用这些测试的发现来扩展和完善模型。因为这些模型是专门针对早期酒精使用和酒精相关问题的发展，理想的样本是初中和高中之间有开始酒精使用行为风险的青少年群体。因此，拟议的研究将使用一套完善的青少年物质使用纵向数据集来开发和测试暴露和脆弱性模型。本R03将支持这些初步测试和发现，并将导致R01应用程序的开发，以进一步推进酒精相关问题风险综合模型的量化、应用、评估和增强。这种可量化的模型可以提供暴露和脆弱性的标准化措施，可以在区域和个人之间进行比较，并用于更好地针对预防和干预工作。项目的叙述

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Small Grant Research Award (R03) application requests two years of support for secondary data analysis to develop indices of regional and personal exposure and vulnerability that can be used in the longitudinal study of determinants of early alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Though research on risk factors for alcohol abuse is common, this research and the models it generates are not well integrated. We know little about the interaction between exposure and vulnerability and less about the relative influence of risk factors measured within different contexts (e.g., at regional, macro levels and personal, micro levels). The integration of models of risk and vulnerability at macro- and micro- levels can lead to deeper understanding of the interactions between risk factors and more effective treatment and prevention of alcohol-related problems. The proposed research program will a) develop both regional and personal theoretical models that measure exposure to alcohol-using opportunities and vulnerability to early alcohol use and the development of alcohol- related problems; b) test those models and their ability to predict alcohol using behaviors in a longitudinal sample of adolescents; and c) use the findings from those tests to expand and refine the models. Because these models are specific to the development of early alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, the ideal sample is a population at risk for initiating alcohol using behaviors adolescents in the period between middle school and high school. Therefore, the proposed research study will use a well-established longitudinal data set of adolescent substance use to develop and test the models of exposure and vulnerability. These initial tests and findings, which this R03 will support, will lead to the development of an R01 application to further advance the quantification, application, evaluation, and enhancement of a comprehensive model of risk for alcohol-related problems. Such a quantifiable model can provide standardized measures of exposure and vulnerability that can be compared across regions and individuals and used to better target prevention and intervention efforts.Project Narrative This project will develop indices of regional and personal exposure and vulnerability that can be used to advance our understanding of the interactive role of community level and individual level risk factors in the development of alcohol-related problems. This advanced understanding can lead to more focused targets for prevention and intervention.