Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:HIV/AIDS continues to be a health disparity faced by sexual minority men, and is exacerbated by non-injection drug use. OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:We sought to delineate growth in non-injection drug use and condomless sex in a sample of racially and economically diverse of gay, bisexual, and other young men who have sex with men (YMSM) as they emerged into adulthood between the ages of 18 and 21 and who came of age in the post-HAART era. METHODS:Behavioral data on drug use and condomless sex, collected via a calendar based technique over 7 waves of a cohort study of 600 YMSM, were analyzed using latent growth curve modeling to document patterns of growth in these behaviors, their associations, and the extent to which patterns and associations are moderated by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. RESULTS:Significant growth was noted in the frequencies of condomless oral and anal intercourse, alcohol to intoxication, marijuana use, and inhalant nitrate use. High levels of association were noted between all behaviors across time but associations did not differ by either race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status. The link between drug use and risky sexual behavior continue to be evident in YMSM with significant increases in these behaviors demonstrated as YMSM transition between adolescence and young adulthood. Conclusions/Importance: Healthcare for a new generation of sexual minority males must address the synergy of these behaviors and also nest HIV prevention and care within a larger context of sexual minority health that acknowledges the advances made in the last three decades.

BACKGROUND: Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are related to a number of adverse consequences such as substance use and general medical conditions. The present longitudinal study seeks to find the longitudinal patterns of cannabis use as precursors of PTSD symptoms. Such information will serve as a guide for intervention programs for PTSD. METHODS: Growth mixture modeling was conducted to identify the cannabis use trajectory groups using a community sample of 674 participants (53% African Americans, 47% Hispanics of Puerto Rican decent; 60% females) from the Harlem Longitudinal Development Study. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between earlier trajectories of cannabis use (age 14 to 36) and later symptoms of PTSD (at age 36) for the full model including the entire sample (N = 674) as well as the reduced model including only participants who had experienced a traumatic event (n = 205). RESULTS: Five trajectory groups of cannabis use were obtained. The chronic use group (full model: Adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 4.68, p<.01; reduced model: AOR = 4.27, p<.05), the late quitting group (full model: AOR = 6.18, p<.01; reduced model: AOR = 6.67, p<.01), and the moderate use group (full model: AOR = 3.97, p<.01; reduced model: AOR = 3.32, p<.05) were all associated with an increased likelihood of having PTSD symptoms at age 36 compared with the no use group. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide information that PTSD symptoms in the mid 30s can possibly be reduced by decreasing membership in the chronic cannabis use trajectory group, the late quitting trajectory group, and the moderate cannabis use trajectory group.

Social-emotional competence in early childhood and the elementary grades is foundational for children's short- and long-term academic, social, mental health, and employment outcomes. This study examined the effects of a large-scale (N = 715) cluster randomized controlled trial of a comprehensive kindergarten program, Tools of the Mind, on teachers"™ reports of children's social-emotional competence at the end of kindergarten with follow-up in first grade. Results indicated that at the end of kindergarten, children in classrooms in schools randomly assigned to the treatment condition had reduced teacher reported behavior problems and aggression and improved self-regulation, social-emotional competence, and positive teacher-child relationships relative to children in classrooms in schools randomly assigned to the control condition. No differences were detected for teacher-reported academic competence. Sustained effects in first grade were seen only for first grade teachers"™ reports of aggression and conduct problems. This study adds to a growing literature demonstrating positive effects of educational programs focusing on children's social-emotional as well as academic competence.

This study examined the association of oral language, including expressive vocabulary and grammar comprehension, with early numeracy skills within and across languages in Spanish"“English speaking Latino children who are dual language learners (DLLs) at the beginning of preschool. Three hundred and forty-two typically developing Spanish"“English speaking DLLs from urban preschool centers serving low-income families participated in this multisite study. Oral language and early numeracy skills were assessed in both Spanish and English at the beginning of the preschool year using standardized assessments. Step-wise regressions using baseline cross-sectional data were completed to determine the association of language skills in Spanish and English with early numeracy skills both within and across languages. Results revealed that a large percentage of the variance in the early numeracy skills of these Latino DLL preschoolers was explained by same language variables including expressive vocabulary and grammar comprehension. These findings suggest a strong association of oral language abilities and early numeracy skills within the same language in Latino Preschool DLLs at the beginning of preschool.