PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: GRUENEWALD, PAUL J.
GRANT NUMBER: P60 AA006282-32S1
ABSTRACT: Alcohol use is associated with tobacco, marijuana and other drug use in the general population and among young people. Co-occurrence of substances may result in increased risk for short and long term negative outcomes such as child abuse and neglect, fighting, difficulties quitting drug use, and drinking and driving. Comorbid substance use may mitigate outcomes of environmental prevention programs and may be involved in alcohol-related social mechanisms of use, abuse and problems at different levels. However, these substances are often studied in isolation, obscuring the ways in which co-occurring substance use might intensify problems experienced or perpetrated by users and the social mechanisms that may underlie both. In response to notice of funding opportunity PA-13-275, the proposed administrative supplement aims at obtaining and analyzing additional data on other substances and co-occurring use among youth, young adults and parents. The proposed supplement relies on data collection activities of three of research components for our NIAAA Center Grant (P60-AA006282, Environmental Approaches to Prevention). Questions remain within the scope of the original projects, but additional data collection and analysis allows us to enhance our understanding of the micro and macro social and physical environments associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and related problems. The proposed supplement allows studying (1) whether and how community-based environmental preventive interventions aimed at reducing excessive drinking and related problems affect the co-occurrence of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drug use (component #2), (2) the role of drinking locations and setting characteristics in co-occurring substance use and problems among youth (component #3), and (3) whether and how co-occurring drug use increases maladaptive parenting (component #4). The additional aims proposed in these components draws upon mixed methods that integrate ecological momentary assessments with qualitative interviews and survey data, survey data with archival ecological measures, and capitalize on survey and archival methods for evaluation research. The rich and varied ecological conditions for drug use that arise across neighborhoods and cities in California provide an ideal environment in which to study the questions proposed in this administrative supplement. The Center enables us to conduct these integrative and integrated research activities in a suitable multi-disciplinary environment, including research collaborators who will advise us on these projects and enable us to enhance opportunities for future collaborations and synergies in addiction science.