Current PAMT Pre- Doctoral Students

1. Current PAMT Pre- Doctoral Students

2. Beau Abar, M.A.Doctoral candidate,Human Development & Family StudiesPrevention mentor: Rob TurrisiMethodology mentors: Eric Loken, Mike Rovine, & Peter Molenaar

3. Research Interests • The application of advanced methodologies to interventions aiming to prevent substance use and related negative consequences • Using mixture models to examine heterogeneity of risk, protection, and intervention efficacy • Exploring biases associated with common practices in LCA and LPA • Focus on consequences for intervention • Elaborating on methods for modeling intensive longitudinal data at the within-person level • Tailoring interventions to the needs of the individual

4. Exploring Heterogeneity • Protection in risky environments (Abar et al., to be submitted Summer 2008) • Longitudinal latent profile analysis • Cognitive and behavioral protection, familial risk, social risk, environmental risk for substance use • Intervention effects on alcohol expectancies (Abar & Turrisi, to be submitted Summer 2008) • Latent Transition Analysis • How does a parent-based intervention influence the belief transitions students make regarding alcohol

5. Issues in Mixture Models • Bias due to Classification (Abar & Loken, to be submitted Spring 2009) • Latent profile and latent class analysis • Examine potential biases due to the common practice of probabilistic assignment to groups in mixtures • A simulation study on fit indices in mixtures (Abar & Loken, to be submitted Fall 2009) • Latent Class Analysis • Perform a series of simulations across conditions • Examine the accuracy of traditional and Bayesian fit indices in deciding upon the true class solution

6. Person specific analysis • Multi-level ARMA models (Rovine & Abar, to be submitted June 2008) • Intensive longitudinal data collected on individuals • e.g. daily reports of substance use and associated risk • Method for modeling individual dynamics over time • Person-specific mixture models (Rovine, Abar, & Loken, to be submitted Fall 2009) • Model within person dynamics • Perform a mixture analysis using estimated individual parameters

7. Future Directions • Comprehensive exams beginning Thursday • Dissertation: Winter 2008/9 – Winter 2009/10 • Professional Goal: Faculty at a large research university: • Research the use of mixture models to tailor intervention efforts • Model within person dynamics in order to inform ongoing interventions and illustrate potential future targets

8. Caitlin Abar, M.S.Doctoral Candidate,Human Development & Family StudiesPrevention mentor: Rob TurrisiMethodology mentor: Stephanie Lanza

9. Research Interests • Informing, implementing, and evaluating interventions designed to prevent/reduce substance use among adolescents and young adults. • The role played by parents in the formation of attitudes and beliefs about and engagement in substance use. • Evaluating outcomes of a parent-based intervention • Mechanisms of change – mediators, moderators • Long term results • The nature of parent-teen relationships in college • Implementing parent-based substance use prevention • Informing future parent-based efforts

10. Evaluating a Parent-Based Intervention • Examining Mediators of a Parent-based Intervention • (Turrisi, Abar, Mallett, Jaccard) • Examining Moderators of a Parent-based Intervention • (Turrisi, Abar, Mallett, Jaccard) • Long-term results of a Parent-based Intervention • (Turrisi, Jaccard, Abar)

11. Nature of Parent-teen Relationships in College • Analysis of parenting characteristics, friend use, and own use in college (Abar & Turrisi, under review) • LCA examining parents-teen conversation topics and alcohol use in college (Abar, et al., in progress) • The influence of parent modeling and permissibility on drinking consequences in college (Abar et al., under review) • LCA of tech changes in parent-teen communication and frequency in college (Abar et al., in progress)

12. Implementing Project CHATCommunications about Health and Alcohol to Teens • NIAAA R01 AA015737 – longitudinal parent-based intervention. 3 treatment conditions, 1 control. • 4 conditions – • Prior to college • Prior to college plus booster parent “check-ins” • After college during the fall of the first semester • Control - • Study aims: • examine impact of changes in dosage and timing

13. Future Directions • NRSA Proposal/Dissertation: Fall ‘08 – Spring ’10 • LCA/LPA of parenting and teen risk in college • Professional Goal: Career at research-intensive university: AIMS: • Etiology of parenting and parent-teen comm. in college • Implement programs designed to prevent/reduce alcohol misuse • Inform and advance family-based substance use prevention for adolescents and young adults

14. Monique Faulk, M.S.Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Prevention and Methodology Training Grant Human Development and Family StudiesMentors: J. Douglas Coatsworth, Linda Caldwell, Emilie Phillips Smith, & John Graham

15. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Mifflin County Drug Court Program Evaluation Youth perceived community networks Aspects of Out-of-School Time (OST) and their relation to positive development Research Interests

16. Mifflin County Drug Court Program- Five-phase program that aims to help juveniles with substance abuse and delinquency issues maintain a healthy lifestyle Developed a packet of surveys to help track: The efficiency of the Drug Court Program by phase Long-term outcomes for youth at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months post program graduation, and Differences between those who participated in the Drug Court program compared to similar non-participating adolescents Drug Court Program EvaluationCBPR Experience

17. Community Networks • Examined the relations among youth’s community networks, family functioning, peer affiliation, and developmental and behavioral outcomes among adolescent first-time offenders • Community networks- linkages to important extended family, recreational, school, faith-based, and work-related sources • Community networks are related not only to better family functioning but also to more positive peer interactions and to reduced deviant peer affiliation and delinquency • Community networks are also related to self-reliance directly and indirectly in different ways

18. Aspects of Out-of-School Time • Mixed-method approach to understand important adolescent-perceived aspects of supervised and non-supervised out-of-school time activities and how those activities relate to positive development • Aspects of free time: • Activity type • Constraints to participation • Opportunities embedded within activity • Experience within activity

19. Future Directions • Dissertation- July 2008 • Research Fellowship- Prevention Research Center/MI, University of Michigan • Community-Based Participatory Research • Program development and evaluation related to reducing STIs among adults and youth • Promoting prosocial activity participation among youth

20. Jennifer Kam, M.A. Ph.D. CandidateCommunication Arts & SciencesPenn State UniversityMay 7, 2008 Mentors: Michael Hecht, Michelle Miller-Day & John Graham

21. Research Interests • Potential Risk-Inducing Cultural Factors • Perceived Discrimination • Cultural Brokering • Parent-Child Communication and Closeness as Protective Factors • Keepin’ it REAL • A Culturally-Grounded Substance Use Prevention Intervention

22. The Impact of Perceived Discrimination on Mexican-Heritage Youth • General Strain Theory (Agnew, 1992) • Investigating whether changes in perceived discrimination have indirect effects on changes in substance use through changes in strain. • Determining whether general parent-child communication and alcohol-specific parent-child communication act as moderators.

23. Dissertation.1 • Cultural brokering: a risk or resilient factor? • Investigating cultural brokering’s indirect effect on substance use through: • Negative attitudes toward brokering • Parentification • Acculturation stress • Academic Performance • Determining whether parent-child closeness acts as a moderator.

24. Dissertation.2 • Examining kiR program effects on Mexican-heritage youth. • Determining whether kiR has an effect on the changes in cultural brokering’s indirect effect on changes in substance use through: • negative cultural brokering attitudes • parentification • acculturation stress • academic performance

25. Future Directions • Continue to Develop • Methodological Skills • Structural Equation Modeling • Latent Growth Modeling • Multilevel Modeling • Missing Data Techniques • Prevention Evaluation • Role of culture in prevention • Role of parent-child relationships in prevention • Apply for a K-award to extend dissertation work on cultural brokering.

26. Lori Palen, M.S.Doctoral candidate,Human Development & Family StudiesPrevention mentor: Ed SmithMethodology mentor: John Graham

27. Research Interests • Informing and evaluating interventions to prevent risk behavior and promote healthy development among adolescents • Describing normative patterns of risk behavior • Describing free-time experiences • Improving measurement and analysis in intervention studies • Assessing effects of a school-based intervention

28. Longitudinal Smoking Patterns

29. Free-Time Experiences Activity Types Activity Motivations Enjoyment Relatedness Learning Challenge Health/fitness Escape Achieving social status Peer pressure Subordinating others • Time with friends • Time with romantic partners • Playing sports • Watching sports • Drama/dance groups • Informal dance • MXit, computer & video games • Risk behavior

30. Other Projects • Substance use • How do social norms relate to substance use longitudinally? • Free-time experiences • What types of constraints get in the way of desired participation? • Measurement & analysis issues • Under what conditions does attrition threaten correct inference about program effects? • Program evaluation • Effects in first cohort, Prevention Science

31. Future Directions • Dissertation defense: May 2008 • Professional goal: Inform and evaluate behavioral intervention for adolescents. • Potential funding streams: R03, R21

32. Amy Syvertsen, M.Ed.NRSA Predoctoral FellowHuman Development and Family StudiesMentors: Mark Greenberg, Ph.D. Constance Flanagan, Ph.D. D. Wayne Osgood, Ph.D.

33. General Research Interests Intersection of Prevention Science, Positive Youth Development, and Civic Development Prevention Science Positive Youth Development Prevention Civic Development Promotion Engagement

34. Specific Research Interests The role of social responsibility in the prevention of adolescent risk behaviors Developmental antecedents and ecological predictors of social responsibility Etiology of adolescent ATOD use Role of prevention and health promotion activities in promoting a “civic” ethic and healthy decision-making

35. Current Research Social Responsibility & Prevention Project [PI: Constance Flanagan; NIDA R01 DA 13709-01] Examining developmental patterns in motivations, beliefs about, and barriers to intervention with friends’ ATOD behaviors. Exploring the relationship between school climate and adolescents’ intervention intentions. [Syvertsen, Flanagan, & Stout, under review] Investigating various “friendship profiles” and their relationship with adolescents’ willingness to intervene. [Syvertsen, Flanagan, & Stout, 2008] Using qualitative methods to analyze parents’ messages to their adolescent children about peer intervention. [Syvertsen, Wray-Lake, & Flanagan, 2008]

36. Current Research “Friends Helping Friends” Curriculum Development [PIs: Constance Flanagan, Claudia Mincemoyer, Les Gallay; R21 – Under Review at NIDA] Collaborating with senior researchers and Extension educators to revise NIDA R21 proposal. Pending approval, assist with: focus groups with youth, parents, and key informants. the development of: 5th grade curriculum (organization-based), companion parent materials, community outreach supplements formative evaluation and pilot study.

37. Current Research Character Education in Harrisburg Public Schools [PIs: CeleneDomitrovich, Mark Greenberg; Harrisburg Public Schools / Department of Education] Conducting focus groups with 7th graders to supplement quantitative evaluation. Analyzing longitudinal data and preparing results so that they may be used to inform school policy and shared with other researchers. [Domitrovich, Syvertsen, Jacobson, Glenn, & Greenberg, 2008]

38. Future Directions Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual Predoctoral Fellowship Award Start Date: July 1, 2008 Use latent variable mixture modeling methods to understand how adolescents’ willingness to intervene in the ATOD risk behaviors of friends changes over time and to identify those developmental, social, and behavioral factors that predict this change. Dissertation papers on social responsibility theme Professional Goal: Conduct research and disseminate findings to diverse audiences on the potential of fusing a civic orientation w/ adolescent ATOD risk reduction.

39. Parents Family Members Teachers Youth Professionals Beliefs about Outcomes Risks of ATOD Use / Failing to Intervene Normative Beliefs about Intervening Friends Help Friends / Others’ Expectations Intention to Intervene Implementation Practice Intervene Control Beliefs Challenging Myths / Promoting Efficacy

40. Melissa Tibbits, M.S. Human Development and Family Studies Pre-Doctoral Fellow Prevention and Methodology Training GrantIndividual NRSA Mentors: Edward Smith, Linda Caldwell, Stephanie Lanza, & Bethany Bray

41. Research Interests • HealthWise South Africa • Developmental consequences of adolescents’ leisure activity participation • Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s Research-based Delinquency and Violence Prevention Initiative • Sustainability of evidence-based prevention programs

42. HealthWise South Africa • Are changes in activity participation related to changes in substance use and sexual behaviors? • Changes within sport/physical activity • Changes across 8 leisure activities • Link between motivation and interest within specific leisure activities (e.g., sports) and risky behaviors • Treatment and comparison group differences in motivation and interest within specific leisure activities

43. PCCD’s Research-based Delinquency and Violence Prevention Initiative • Began in 1998 • Over 100 sites have been funded to implement Blueprints programs in PA • Currently exploring long-term sustainability, as well as predictors of sustainability

44. Future Directions • Complete dissertation August 2009 • Improve methodological skills • Explore ways to utilize leisure activities as a context of prevention • Consult with schools and communities regarding evidence-based prevention programs

45. Anita S. Younker, M.S.Doctoral Candidate,Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism ManagementPrevention and Methodology TrainingPre-doctoral FellowPrevention mentors: Linda Caldwell and Ed SmithMethodology mentor: Donna Coffman

46. Research Interests • Using leisure as a context for prevention of risky and unhealthy behaviors among adolescents • Implementation and evaluation of prevention programs • Exploring potential mediators of program effects • Improving analysis in intervention evaluations

47. Substance Use Prevention • HealthWise South Africa • Evaluating the effects of specific HealthWise lessons on free time motivation, leisure constraints, and healthy leisure participation, all hypothesized mediators of substance use

48. Implementation and Evaluation • Process Evaluations • Type III errors • Deconstruction of Interventions • HealthWise South Africa • Evaluating the implementation of specific lessons and relating those findings to program outcomes

49. Methodology • Exploring potential mediators of program effects • Motivation • Implementation • Improving analysis in intervention studies • Analyzing psychometric properties of measurement instruments • Free Time Motivation Scale for Adolescents • Potential cross-national comparisons

50. Future Directions • Master of Applied Statistics • NRSA, Fall ’08 • Dissertation, May 2010 • Professional goal: program evaluator: • Combine process and summative data to pick apart the intricacies of program effects • Use mixed methods to employ a comprehensive evaluation approach to better inform stakeholders about the best intervention strategy for their target population • Large- and small-scale interventions