Modeling quantum change in adolescent sexual initiation and condom use

模拟青少年性行为和安全套使用的量子变化

• 批准号: 8848417
• 负责人: Din Chen
• 金额: $ 28.68万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-22 至 2018-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8848417
• 关键词: AIDS prevention; Accounting; Address; Adolescent; Adolescent sexual risk; Alcohols; Appearance; Behavior; Behavior Therapy; Behavioral; Behavioral Research; Characteristics; Charge; Cognitive; Communities; Complex; Computer Simulation; Computer software; Critical Thinking; Cues; Data; Data Analyses; Decision Making; Emergency Situation; Funding; Goals; HIV; HIV risk; Health; Human; Intention; Intervention; Intervention Studies; Investigation; Left; Light; Literature; Longitudinal Surveys; Methodology; Methods; Modeling; Nature; Operating System; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Physics; Play; Positioning Attribute; Prevention; Process; Public Health; Research; Research Personnel; Risk; Risk Behaviors; Risk Reduction; Role; Safe Sex; Scientist; System; Systems Theory; Thinking; Time; United States; United States National Institutes of Health; Youth; analytical tool; base; behavior change; condoms; contextual factors; data modeling; early sex initiation; effective intervention; heuristics; improved; insight; novel; particle; pressure; prevent; programs; quantum; randomized trial; sex; sex risk; sexual debut; simulation; social; theories; transmission process

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Modeling quantum change in adolescent sexual initiation and condom use) A better understanding of early sexual initiation and condom use among adolescents is of great significance for prevention of HIV transmission. According to the dual-process systems theory, human behaviors are determined largely by two decision making systems. System 1 is a cognitive mechanism frequently used for routine or quick decisions (e.g., in emergency or under pressure); System 2 is a cognitive mechanism less frequently used for rule-based decisions by carefully weighing pros and cons of alternatives. According to this theory, adolescents' decisions regarding sex and condom use may contain both quick processes executed by System 1 and a gradual processes executed by System 2. Analytically, behavioral changes operated by System 1 will be seen as "discrete" because these changes are rapid, giving the appearance of having been executed without thinking. Behavioral changes executed by System 2 will be seen as "continuous" because critical thinking and careful assessment take time. Behavioral theories and models guiding much of our past research have focused on continuous changes, leaving discrete changes largely untouched. The co-existence of continuous and discrete processes in human behavior has been termed "quantum behavior change" (QBC) in the literature given their similarity to the well-known dual characteristics of waves and particles of light ray in physics. HIV behavior research may be advanced through the application of the QBC approach. The investigation of the QBC nature of a behavior requires methodologies capable of simultaneously modeling both continuous and discrete process; to date, such methods have not been well established. Cusp catastrophe modeling represents a promising approach, but several limitations of the estimation method prevent its use in HIV behavior research. Guided by the dual-process systems theory, in this project we will (1) extend and improve the estimation methods for cusp catastrophe modeling; (2) employ the improved methodology to simulate different risk and intervention scenarios to gain new insight into the complex dynamics of adolescents' sexual initiation and condom use behavior; (3) employ the same methodology to analyze the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 data to investigate factors associated with risky and safer sex, and data from two NIH-funded randomized trials we conducted to re-assess program effect; and (4) develop statistical software supporting the use of cusp catastrophe modeling method, making it available without charge to researchers. A team consisting of behavioral scientists and methodologists is assembled and well positioned to carry out the proposed research. To the best of our knowledge, this project is the first to address the QBC nature of adolescent sexual risk behavior using the cusp catastrophe modeling method and guided by the dual- process systems theory. Expected findings of this project will (1) add new data furthering our understanding of adolescent HIV risk behaviors and supporting more effective interventions for risk reduction and (2) provide new paradigms and analytical tools for researchers to advance their research agenda.

描述（由申请人提供）：对青少年性起始和使用避孕套的量子变化进行建模）更好地理解青少年的早期性启动和避孕套的使用对于预防HIV传播具有重要意义。根据双过程系统理论，人类行为主要取决于两个决策系统。系统1是一种经常用于常规或快速决策的认知机制（例如在紧急情况下或压力下）；系统2是通过仔细权衡替代方案的利弊来进行基于规则的决策的认知机制。根据这一理论，青少年关于性和避孕套使用的决策可能包含系统1执行的快速过程和系统2执行的逐渐过程。从分析上，系统1操作的行为变化将被视为“离散”，因为这些变化很快，使得出现在没有思考的情况下执行。系统2执行的行为变化将被视为“连续”，因为批判性思维和仔细评估需要时间。行为理论和模型指导我们过去的大部分研究都集中在持续变化上，而离散的变化在很大程度上没有受到影响。鉴于它们与物理学中的波浪和光射线的众所周知的双重特征相似，文献中，人类行为中连续和离散过程的共存已被称为“量子行为变化”（QBC）。艾滋病毒行为研究可以通过应用QBC方法来进行。对行为的QBC性质的研究需要能够同时建模连续和离散过程的方法。迄今为止，此类方法尚未得到充分确立。尖峰灾难建模代表了一种有希望的方法，但是估计方法的几个局限性阻止了其在HIV行为研究中的使用。在双重过程系统理论的指导下，在这个项目中，我们将（1）扩展并改善尖峰灾难建模的估计方法； （2）采用改进的方法来模拟不同的风险和干预场景，以获得对青少年性启动和避孕套使用行为的复杂动态的新见解； （3）采用相同的方法来分析1997年青年的全国纵向调查，以调查与风险和更安全的性别相关的因素，以及来自两项NIH资助的随机试验的数据，我们进行了重新评估程序效应； （4）开发支持使用尖峰灾难建模方法的统计软件，使研究人员不收取它。由行为科学家和方法学家组成的团队组成了，并且可以很好地进行拟议的研究。据我们所知，该项目是第一个使用尖峰灾难建模方法解决青少年性风险行为的QBC性质的项目，并受双重过程系统理论的指导。该项目的预期发现将（1）添加新的数据，以进一步了解我们对青少年艾滋病毒风险行为的理解，并支持更有效的降低风险干预措施，（2）为研究人员提供新的范式和分析工具，以推动其研究议程。