SOMATIZATION IN ADOLESCENTS OF PARENTS WITH AIDS

University Of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (adapted from the applicant's abstract): The proposed K23 Award outlines a program of career development & research in the psychological impact of parental illness & death on adolescent somatization. While multiple risk factors have been hypothesized for the development of somatization disorder, many questions remain about the relative contribution of these factors. This prospective, longitudinal study seeks to quantify the contributions of developmental risk factors for somatization behaviors, assess the relationship between somatization & attachment relationships, determine the risk of comorbid anxiety & depression with somatization, & evaluate the impact of somatization on health care utilization and the developmental tasks of young adulthood. A specific focus will be to evaluate the intergenerational risk for insecure attachment, measured in adolescents and their infant offspring, & to assess its interaction with other risk factors. These questions will be addressed in the adolescent offspring of Parents with AIDS, a population at risk for increased somatization due to parental absence, illness, & death. Control adolescents are available for comparison. These data will be used to develop an intervention study for adolescents at increased risk for somatization with the goals of decreasing later psychopathology & health care over utilization. The candidate has demonstrated skills as a talented clinician & early investigator. The educational & research plan is designed to facilitate the continued development of a career focused on the investigation of the impact of HIV on the lives of families, & to expand this focus to the relationship of familial chronic illness & the development of adolescent psychopathology. The proposed research is intended to provide mentored research experience in the developmental risks for child mental illness, as well as longitudinal treatment interventions. The 5-year career development plan includes didactic instruction in clinical research at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, & statistical analysis & research design at the UCLA School of Medicine. The proposed plan includes a focus on clinical research methodologies, statistical analysis, publication, & attachment research. Additional time will be devoted to supervised individual courses of study in structural equation modeling, as well as the development of treatment intervention design. In addition to funding the candidate's transition to independent research, this project offers a unique opportunity to assess the intergenerational risk for somatization behaviors, & to contribute to their prevention in this HIV affected population & their control group.