Impact of Louisiana Hurricanes on Adolescent Substance Abuse

路易斯安那州飓风对青少年药物滥用的影响

• 批准号: 7159086
• 负责人: LOUISE A ROHRBACH
• 金额: $ 8.14万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-04-15 至 2008-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7159086
• 关键词: clinical research; disasters; substance abuse related disorder

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research project focuses on the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the psychological functioning and substance use behaviors of adolescents in Louisiana. The majority of previous research on the impacts of natural disasters on children and adolescents has focused on assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few studies have examined how exposure to natural disasters is related to the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana among young people. Prospective studies are needed to investigate the interrelationships among exposure to hurricanes, PTSD and other symptoms of psychological distress, and substance use. The specific aims of this study are to: 1. Investigate the relationship between exposure to the hurricanes and increases in adolescent substance use behaviors from pre-disaster to post-disaster; 2. Examine whether PTSD symptomatology mediates the relationship between exposure to the hurricanes and substance use and abuse; and 3. Examine factors that may be associated with PTSD symptomatology, including the severity of disaster experiences (e.g., life threat and loss, or disruption); characteristics of the adolescent, such as demographic characteristics and predisaster functioning; characteristics of the post-disaster environment, such as the availability of social support and the presence of other major life stressors, and coping strategies that adolescents use to deal with the disaster. Our research group is in a unique position to conduct a study of the effects of exposure to Katrina and Rita on adolescents' mental health and substance use. Currently, we are studying 647 high school students in Lake Charles, Louisiana who participated in a drug abuse prevention program trial during the last school year. Prior to the hurricanes, in fall 2004, we surveyed these adolescents at baseline and 6 weeks later (post-implementation) to assess their substance use behaviors and related attitudes and beliefs. In the proposed longitudinal study, we will conduct 2 long-term follow-up assessments, which will occur at 7-and 19-months post-hurricanes, respectively, to measure substance use, psychological functioning, severity of exposure to the hurricanes, and related psychosocial constructs. This application addresses the effects of disasters on youth, an important area of research that has tremendous public health implications. Specifically, it addresses the etiology of drug abuse, a critical public health problem that is 1 of the most prominent contributors to morbidity and mortality in the U.S. The results of studies of this type may prove useful in the development of effective treatment and prevention programs for youth who have experienced the devastation of hurricanes.

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究项目侧重于卡特里娜飓风和丽塔飓风对路易斯安那州青少年的心理功能和药物使用行为的影响。先前关于自然灾害对儿童和青少年的影响的大多数研究重点是评估创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）。很少有研究研究年轻人中对香烟，酒精和大麻的使用如何与使用自然灾害的暴露有关。需要进行前瞻性研究来调查暴露于飓风，PTSD和其他心理困扰症状以及使用物质的症状之间的相互关系。这项研究的具体目的是：1。调查暴露于飓风的关系与青少年物质使用行为的增加之间的关系从前撒沙剂到污水策划后; 2。检查PTSD症状学是否介导了暴露于飓风与药物使用和滥用之间的关系；和3。检查可能与PTSD症状相关的因素，包括灾难经历的严重性（例如，生命威胁和损失，或破坏）；青少年的特征，例如人口统计学特征和狂热者功能；灾后环境的特征，例如社会支持的可用性和其他主要生活压力源的存在，以及青少年用来应对灾难的策略。我们的研究小组处于独特的位置，可以研究对卡特里娜飓风和丽塔的影响对青少年心理健康和药物使用的影响。目前，我们正在路易斯安那州查尔斯湖学习647名高中学生，他们在上一学年参加了预防滥用滥用计划的试验。在飓风之前，在2004年秋季，我们在基线和6周后（实施后）对这些青少年进行了调查，以评估他们的物质使用行为以及相关的态度和信念。在拟议的纵向研究中，我们将进行2项长期随访评估，这些评估将分别发生在7个月和19个月后的殖民地，以衡量药物使用，心理功能，暴露于飓风的严重程度以及相关的心理社会结构。该申请解决了灾难对青年的影响，这是一个重要的研究领域，具有巨大的公共卫生影响。具体而言，它解决了药物滥用的病因，这是美国最重要的公共卫生问题，是美国发病率和死亡率最重要的贡献者之一，这种类型的研究结果可能被证明可用于制定有效的遭受飓风毁灭的年轻人的有效治疗和预防计划。