Women’s substance use and misuse; victimization; drinking contexts
I currently have two primary areas of focus in my research. The first involves the ongoing focus on young women’s alcohol use/abuse and risks for sexual assault. This area of research has evolved through survey and daily process studies, as well as the development of a video vignette risk perception measure designed to assess women’s perception of ambiguous and clear risk cues for alcohol-related sexual assault. We are currently developing a preventive intervention, funded through a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), to reduce college women’s risk for sexual revictimization by reducing hazardous drinking, improving perception of sexual assault risk cues, and increasing the use of protective behavioral skills (dating and drinking).
My second primary area of research focuses on the assessment of negative consequences associated with college students’ nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) and polydrug use. Preliminary research in this area was funded through a SUNY/RF Collaborative Award. UB and University at Albany undergraduates were surveyed to assess rates of NMUPD (i.e., stimulants, benzodiazepines/ sedatives, opioid analgesics) and associated negative consequences. A larger multi-site study is planned assess and mitigate negative events associated with polydrug use in college students.