Download Bo Cleveland, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies

Bo Cleveland, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies
College of Health and Human Development
Penn State
gPROSPER:
Early Progress and Findings from a Genetically Informative Investigation
of the PROSPER Prevention Project
Presentation Abstract
An ongoing concern of intervention research in the area of adolescent substance
use and abuse is the varying impact of interventions on individuals. To
understand why intervention effects vary, it is critical to broaden the scope of
inquiry to include gene-by-environment (G-E) interplay, including but not
limited to the moderation of intervention impact by specific genes.
In this study we are examining G-E interplay by adding a large panel of
candidate genes implicated in substance use to the PROSPER study, a
prospective cohort study of preventative interventions’ impact on adolescent
substance use. PROSPER provides specific and repeated annual assessments of
substance use and contributing environmental factors from 6th grade through
early adulthood. Our goal in this study is to inform the development of more
effective interventions, thus helping to alleviate the many adverse outcomes
related to drug use.
I will talk about the current status of the “gPROSPER” project and describe
findings to date. I also will discuss methods in conducting the study—both DNA
data collection and analytic challenges.