Social Network Dynamics of Adolescent Gender Socialization, Alcohol Use, and Sexual Violence

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
One in five women and one in fourteen men in the US have been raped, with four out of five rape survivors
reporting that alcohol or substance was involved at the time of the violence. Current prevention efforts are
hampered by a limited understanding of the gendered and developmental origins of these health crises.
Innovative epidemiologic science that integrates psychological and developmental determinants of sexual
violence and alcohol use with cutting edge social network and social norms research is critical for advances in
prevention efforts. This Mentored Research Scientist Development K01 Award is designed to increase the
candidate’s capacities to undertake innovative social network analyses to provide important insights into the
gender socialization processes that occur in adolescence and contribute to alcohol use and sexual violence
behavior across the lifecourse. The proposed activities will take place alongside a strong and dedicated training
committee comprised of globally renowned experts and will extend the candidate’s existing expertise in social
epidemiology to include: social and developmental psychology, adolescent alcohol epidemiology, longitudinal
social network analysis, and multilevel structural equation modeling. Research activities will involve social
network and structural equation modeling techniques using secondary data from a nationally-representative
prospective cohort study. Three specific aims are proposed: Aim 1) Longitudinally examine the relationship
between individual gender expression, alcohol use, and sexual violence; Aim 2) Assess contribution of normative
gender expression within peer groups to variation in alcohol use and sexual violence outcomes; Aim 3) Identify
latent classes of adolescents at greatest risk for alcohol use and sexual violence, and the social network
processes (selection and influence) that moderate risk. Research significance includes: a) identification of novel
and developmentally-specific mechanisms that explain sex-disparities in alcohol use and sexual violence in
adolescence; b) identification of typologies of adolescent peer groups at highest risk for both alcohol use and
sexual violence. These findings will provide new avenues for prevention efforts to address the developmental
origins of sex-disparities in alcohol use and sexual violence. Research innovations include: a) social network
algorithms to identify peer groups, used within multilevel models; b) a novel, validated measure of gender
expression; c) an integrated multilevel lifecourse framework of adolescent socialization processes linked to
alcohol use and sexual violence. Findings from this work will inform a future survey-based R01 among younger
adolescents to further elucidate the social psychological processes and normative environments in adolescent
peer groups that impact alcohol use and sexual violence, as modified by racial, sexual, and gender minority
status. This work responds to the NIAAA Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research’s (DEPR) Strategic
Plan, which underscores the need for research focused on prevention and youth.

Grant Number: 5K01AA028557-05
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Kathryn Barker