1997 |
Raffaelli, Marcela |
R03Activity Code Description: To provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies which are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are non-renewable. |
Acculturation Related to Latino Sexual Behavior @ University of Nebraska Lincoln
In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that unprotected heterosexual intercourse puts Latino populations,particularly women, at elevated risk of infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Unlike other ethnic/gender groups, Latino women have not increased their use of condoms, and it is clear that existing models of sexual risk and protective factors are inadequate to explain or predict their behavior. immigration theory suggests that acculturation (the degree to which immigrants adapt to a host culture) is an important factor in shaping attitudes and behaviors. However, research has revealed that traditional measures of acculturation do not accurately predict the sexual risk and protective behaviors of Latino women. The overarching goal of this project is to identify and develop ways of assessing domains of acculturation relevant to the sexual behavior of Latino women living in the U.S. Specific aims of the project are to: (I) Identify dimensions of acculturation related to sexual risk and protective behaviors of Latino women; (2) Create structured measures of these dimensions of acculturation; (3) Pilot-test the measures and examine their psychometric and predictive properties in a sample of Latino- women as compared to men. In order to accomplish the first aim, an existing set of in-depth interviews conducted with 24 Latino women will be analyzed to examine family socialization of gender-role attitudes and behaviors, early romantic and sexual experiences, and lifetime risk and protective behaviors among women with different childhood and current acculturation patterns. This information will be used to create structured measures to assess dimensions of sexual acculturation. Finally, the newly created measures will be pilot-testing in a sample of 120 Latino women and men, and their psychometric and predictive properties will be examined. If this study is successful, it will result in the identification and operationalization of aspects of acculturation that are predictive of differential risk levels among Latino women, which will facilitate future HIV/AIDS risk-reduction efforts.
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2001 — 2002 |
Raffaelli, Marcela |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Childhood Origins of Adolescent Sexual Risk Taking @ University of Nebraska Lincoln
DESCRIPTION (adapted from the applicant's abstract): This 3-year project will examine childhood predictors of sexual behaviors that place adolescents at risk for HIV infection. Secondary data analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) mother-child data set will be conducted: (1) To identify individual, family, and peer factors operating in childhood and adolescence that predispose adolescents to sexual risk-taking; (2) To identify protective factors (particularly parenting practices) that reduce the likelihood that high risk adolescents will engage in sexual risk-taking; (3) To examine the stability and early predictors of self-regulation; (4) To test a comprehensive predictive model of adolescent sexual risk-taking across gender and ethnic/racial groups. The target sample consists of children of original NLSY participants who were 4-5 years old in 1986 and who have data at four time points: 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 (estimated N = 600). In Phase 1, data from the 1998 Child Supplement (due out in May 2000) will be configured and integrated with existing longitudinal data from 1986, 1990, and 1994, and preliminary analyses will be conducted. In Phase 2, predictors of adolescent sexual risk-taking will be examined, with particular attention to self-regulation, risk proneness, and peer influences. Factors that mitigate risk (e.g., effective parenting, non-deviant peers) will also be examined. Predictive models of adolescent sexual risk-taking will be tested across gender and ethnic/racial groups (Black, Hispanic, and White non-Hispanic). Phase 3 will focus on identifying early and concurrent predictors of middle childhood self-regulation, examining the stability of self-regulation in childhood and adolescence, and identifying trajectories of self-regulation across childhood. Finally, in Phase 4, replication analyses on a cohort of NLSY children born to older mothers will be conducted to determine the robustness and generalizability of the findings. This project will provide unique information about developmental antecedents of adolescent sexual risk-taking and permit identification of fruitful avenues for early intervention.
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2001 — 2003 |
Crockett, Lisa (co-PI) [⬀] Thompson, Ross (co-PI) [⬀] Torquati, Julia [⬀] Raffaelli, Marcela Edwards, Carolyn (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Cri: Planning the Center For the Study of Children's Development in Relationships @ University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abstract
Planning a Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships
Julia Torquati, Lisa Crockett, Carolyn Edwards, Marcela Raffaelli, and Ross Thompson
Relationships are critical to intellectual, emotional, social, and physical growth in childhood. Relationships with parents, grandparents, siblings, peers, teachers, caregivers in day care and preschool, and others contribute to the development of skills, respond to the child's individuality, facilitate new learning and growth, and provide sources of security and support. Relationships have recently been described as the "active ingredients" of healthy development by the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development of the National Academy of Sciences in their report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods. But although much is known about the impact of specific relationships on children's development, there are many limitations to current understanding. This project proposal requests support to enable investigators to advance the science of relationships in development by planning the creation of a Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships.
The overarching goal of the Center is to develop the capacity for multi-disciplinary research on children's development within relationships, from infancy through adolescence, encompassing the varieties of relationships and develop-mental processes characteristic of childhood. More specifically, researchers at the Center will develop: (a) a shared theoretical view of development and relationships to guide their work, (b) a framework for coordination among specific research activities conducted by research scientists, (c) processes for scholarly exchanges through workshops, conferences, and networking opportunities, (d) educational activities for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting scientists, (e) associations with institutional and community resources concerned with children, (f) a repository for data and reports that already exist concerning development and relationships from both local and national sources, and (g) procedures for disseminating research conclusions to other scholars, communities, human service professionals, and policymakers.
The goals of the proposed planning period are to inaugurate the development of this Center by building collaborative partnerships within the University of Nebraska, and with scholars at other institutions, and to initiate specific research programs by critically examining current research on children's relationships to identify gaps in conceptualization, measurement, populations studied, or developmental stages and transitions that have been examined. During the proposed planning period, several activities will occur. These include (a) an assessment of future research needs through monthly meetings, exchanges of reviews of the literature, and consulting with an advisory board of experts, (b) building multidisciplinary collaborations within the University, and with scholars outside it, (c) developing a shared theoretical framework through collaborative interaction, and (d) preparation and submission of a Center grant proposal.
The Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships will also accomplish several ancillary goals. First, it will provide an infrastructure for the integration of education and research on this important topic. Second, it will broaden the representation of underrepresented groups through active recruitment of scholars, students, and research participants. Finally, the work of Center scholars will enhance knowledge of the field through independent research activities and review of the research literature.
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