Epidemiology & Experimental Interventions: NIDA Research

描述（由申请人提供）：我的博士前研究的目的是为自己的职业生涯做好准备，作为一个以NIDA为中心的主要研究者，面向药物依赖预防/早期干预策略。拟议的论文研究代表了一系列研究的第一步，这些研究检查和治疗临床上重要的大麻使用和依赖。这项研究的第一阶段实施和评估了一种新的，匿名的，纵向的，基于网络的大麻使用和依赖年轻人的干预。先进的统计模型将用于调查干预结果。拟议的论文研究源于这样一个事实，即大麻依赖是一个主要的公共卫生问题，并且需要针对使用大麻的年轻人进行大规模，低成本的干预计划。如果该论文提供了从基于网络的干预中获益的证据，那么基于该论文研究步骤建立的涉及其他人群的后续研究将是必要和值得的。否则，研究必须在迭代过程中转向干预的改进，直到我们更多地了解网络干预可以产生持久效益的限制条件（例如，作为CBT的辅助）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of my pre-doctoral research is to prepare myself for a career as a NIDA-focused principal investigator oriented toward drug dependence prevention/early intervention strategies. The proposed dissertation research represents an initial step in a line of research that examines and treats clinically significant cannabis use and dependence. The first phase of this research implements and evaluates a novel, anonymous, longitudinal, web-based intervention among cannabis using and dependent young adults. Advanced statistical models will be utilized to investigate intervention outcomes. The proposed thesis research stems from the fact that cannabis dependence represents a major public health concern, and that there is a need for large-scale, low-cost intervention programs targeting young adults who use cannabis. If the thesis gives evidence of benefit from the web-based intervention, later studies that build from this thesis research step, involving other populations, will be needed and merited. Otherwise, the research must shift toward refinements of the intervention in an iterative process, until we learn more about the limiting conditions under which web interventions can be made to yield lasting benefits (e.g., as an adjunct to CBT).