Women, Methamphetamine and Sex

本申请的目的是发展申请人成为一个混合方法的研究人员，专门从事 滥用药物的妇女及其健康和情感幸福。为了实现这一目标，博士。 布朗将建立在她的背景作为一个医学人类学家和完成定性研究 通过进行定量方法和公共卫生方面的培训（通过公共卫生硕士）。布朗博士也将 研究妇女使用甲基苯丙胺（MA）和性暴力史对妇女的影响， 性风险行为。布朗博士的研究目标是：1）定性地研究 MA女性使用者将其性经历与其药物使用和/或其生活经历联系起来，以及2） 定量分析性危险行为、物质滥用与生活质量的纵向关系 女性MA用户的经验。为了实现第一个目标，布朗博士将进行深入的定性分析， 研究（包括一项为期三年的随访研究），约有30名使用甲基苯丙胺的妇女， 治疗为了达到第二个目的，布朗博士将对玛丽-林恩博士进行二次分析 布雷希特的甲基苯丙胺滥用：自然史和治疗效果数据集，其中包括自然 关于女性（N=201）性风险行为、药物滥用和生活经历的历史数据。结果 这两项研究将指导R 01提案的制定。布朗博士将由理查德博士指导 罗森，一个MA专家;维维安布朗，一个滥用药物的妇女专家，和Yih-Rawson Hser， 统计学专家候选人还将得到一个著名专家组的广泛咨询 药物滥用治疗和研究、妇女健康和研究方法。 由于在1999年发现了一种新的艾滋病毒株，MA和性的相互作用最近受到了全国的关注。 一个男同性恋者MA可能对免疫系统、病毒复制和性功能有独特的影响。 行为。显然，需要做更多的研究来了解这种药物如何影响性行为，特别是 在这方面研究不足的妇女中。考虑到滥用药物的女性 例如MA通常具有多个因素（例如，暴力和虐待的历史），使他们面临贫困的风险 性决策，更深入地了解女性MA用户如何概念化他们的性行为。 行为和经验可以帮助为这一妇女群体制定干预措施。

The objective of this application is to develop the applicant into a mixed methods researcher specializing in substance-abusing women and their health and emotional well-being. To accomplish this objective, Dr. Brown will build upon her background as a medical anthropologist and accomplished qualitative researcher by undertaking training in quantitative methodologies and public health (via an MPH). Dr. Brown will also conduct research on the impact of women's methamphetamine (MA) use and histories of sexual violence on their sex-risk behaviors. Dr. Brown's research aims are: 1) to investigate qualitatively the ways in which women MA users relate their sexual experiences to their drug use and/or their life experiences, and 2) to analyze quantitatively the longitudinal relationships between sex-risk behaviors, substance abuse, and life experiences among women MA users. To achieve the first aim, Dr. Brown will conduct an in-depth qualitative study (including a three-year follow-up study) with approximately 30 MA-using women in residential treatment. To achieve the second aim, Dr. Brown will conduct a secondary analysis of Dr. Mary-Lynn Brecht's Methamphetamine Abuse: Natural History and Treatment Effects dataset, which includes natural history data on women's (N=201) sex-risk behaviors, substance abuse, and life experiences. Results from the two studies will guide the develop of an R01 proposal. Dr. Brown will be mentored by Drs. Richard Rawson, an expert on MA; Vivian Brown, an expert on substance-abusing women, and Yih-lng Hser, an expert statistician. The candidate will also receive extensive consultation from a prominent group of experts in substance abuse treatment and research, women's health, and research methodologies. The interaction of MA and sex has recently received national attention due to a new strain of HIV detected in a gay male MA user. MA may have unique influences on the immune system, viral replication, and sexual behaviors. Clearly, more research needs to be done on how this drug affects sexual behaviors, particularly among women who have been understudied in this regard. Considering that women who abuse substances such as MA typically have multiple factors (e.g., histories of violence and abuse) placing them at risk for poor sexual decision-making, a more in-depth understanding of how women MA users conceptualize their sexual behaviors and experiences could assist in developing interventions for this group of women.