A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis and Intervention for Drinking and Health

 描述（由申请人提供）：有一个广泛的负面后果，这可能会发生由于大学饮酒。这些后果已被发现与较高的酒精消费量和更强的积极的同伴和个人对饮酒的态度，特别是在希腊生活组织的成员。虽然问题饮酒的后果及其与规范的同伴行为和态度的关联已经得到了广泛的研究，但关于直接的同伴影响如何不同地影响个人行为和后果的体验，人们知之甚少。这项研究建议的重点是解决这一差距的个人和组织网络的学生在危险的酒精消费的高风险的检查。它将研究网络特征和个人的酒精消费，态度和酒精问题的经验之间的关系。这将通过应用社会网络分析来评估个人特征和行为与组织网络特征之间的关系来实现。八个希腊生活组织的样本将从一个大型多元化的公立大学招募。参与者将被要求完成一项在线调查，评估他们的态度，行为和饮酒的后果。此外，参与者将提供有关他们最亲密的朋友和与他们的分会其他成员的关系以及这些协会的力量的信息。这种从属信息使研究小组能够构建组织网络，旨在研究饮酒行为，态度和问题的分布。数据分析将检查与饮酒行为和后果相关的网络特征，以及这些特征随时间变化的影响。在12个月的时间里，将对每个希腊生命组织进行另外两次评估。这项研究的结果将用于帮助设计有针对性的干预措施，其中考虑到社会网络因素的影响。通过调整现有的干预措施，我们希望提高其在这一人群中的有效性和功效。这 拟议的研究项目支持国家酒精滥用和酒精中毒研究所（NIAAA）的使命，因为它的重点是加强对酒精消费的同伴影响和网络对健康风险和与酒精消费相关的利益的影响的理解。这项工作的完成将增加NIAAA的任务，以了解酒精消费的结果，并提高用于创建有效的预防和治疗方案的知识。该项目的调查结果将提交给研究人员、教育管理人员、学生、决策者和公众，并将其传播给他们，这符合NIAAA的战略规划目标。总之，该项目的授予和完成将为一位有前途的年轻研究人员提供道德、方法、统计和写作方面的大量培训，并将解决对社会网络分析、酒精消费和干预措施进行创新研究的重大需求。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a wide range of negative consequences, which can occur as a result of college drinking. These consequences have been found to be associated with higher alcohol consumption and stronger positive peer and personal attitudes towards drinking especially in members of Greek Life Organizations. While the consequences of problematic drinking and their associations with normative peer behaviors and attitudes have been widely studied, less is known about how direct peer influences may differentially affect individual behaviors and experiences of consequences. This research proposal is focused on addressing this gap by the examination of individual and organizational networks of students at high risk for hazardous alcohol consumption. It will examine the relationships between network characteristics and individuals' alcohol consumption, attitudes, and experiences of alcohol problems. This will be achieved by applying the use of Social Network Analysis to assess the relationships between individual characteristics and behaviors and organizational network characteristics. A sample of eight Greek Life Organizations will be recruited from a large diverse public university. Participants will be asked to complete an online survey assessing their attitudes, behaviors, and experienced consequences of drinking. Additionally participants will provide information about their closest friends and relationships with the other members of their chapter and the strength of these associations. This affiliative information allows the research team to construct organization networks designed to examine the distribution of drinking behaviors, attitudes, and problems. Data analysis will examine the network characteristics associated with drinking behaviors and consequences and the impact of changes in those characteristics over time. Two additional assessments will be conducted with each Greek Life organization over the course of 12 months. Findings from this study will be used the help design targeted interventions which account for the impact of social network factors. By adapting existing interventions we hope to improve their effectiveness and efficacy in this population. This proposed research project supports the mission of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as it focuses on enhancing the understanding of peer influences on alcohol consumption and network influence on experiences of health risks and benefits associated with alcohol consumption. The completion of this work will augment NIAAA missions to understand the outcomes of alcohol consumption, and enhance knowledge used to create effective prevention, and treatment programs. The findings of this project will be presented and disseminated to researchers, education administrators, students, policy makers, and the public, as is in line with the strategic planning goals of NIAAA. In conclusion, the award and completion of this project will afford substantial training in ethics, methodologies, statistics, and writing,to a promising young researcher and will address the significant need for innovative research on social network analysis, alcohol consumption, and interventions.