NIDA Invested $19.5 Million in Sociologist-Led Research in FY04

by Yonette Thomas, Epidemiology Research Branch, and Anna Staton, Office of Science Policy, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Supporting and conducting science that will help prevent and treat drug abuse is the ultimate goal of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). As the world’s largest supporter of research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction, NIDA supports a comprehensive research portfolio that continues to bring us new knowledge about addiction and has led to our current understanding of addiction as a disease. As demonstrated in Figure 1, there are multiple domains associated with the development, progression, and treatment of this disease; and the social context is a key component in this model.

Figure 1

Like other common human diseases, drug abuse is a “complex” disorder that reflects the interplay between underlying genetic susceptibility and environmental risk. By supporting research that simultaneously works to understand both the environmental (social and physical) and biological factors and how their interplay is involved in the addiction process, we will be able to tease out genetic, social, and cultural risk and protective factors.

As we look to the future, we realize that the way science is conducted is changing. Drug abuse is a field where scientists can no longer work in isolation. As the science behind addiction advances, it becomes imperative that scientists begin to work across disciplines so that we are able to better understand the interactions across individual behaviors, genetic and biological factors, and the social and environmental context in which individuals exist. The science thus far has shown us that the environment can have an impact on a genetic level and that genes can impact behavior, but we must delve further (See Figure 2). Through active engagement in this multidisciplinary research process we will be able to further uncover important variables that are critical to the development of future prevention and treatment interventions. NIDA is committed to creating, facilitating, and sustaining partnerships among scientists and to providing an environment in which the results of these partnerships can be operationalized in a way meaningful for communities across the nation. Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of NIDA, states, “Since the social context plays a critical role in modulating drug using behavior it must be addressed in developing strategies for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse.”

                    Figure 2
Another area in which the social context and drug abuse play critical roles is in the spread of HIV/AIDS. Not only can HIV be transmitted through the sharing of contaminated injection equipment, but drugs also can impact decision-making, thus making individuals more likely to engage in risk taking behavior. The proliferation of HIV/AIDS has been heavily influenced by the social context in which infected individuals reside. While HIV/AIDS affects all, it does not affect all equally. African Americans comprise about 12 percent of the U.S. population, but account for a disproportionate amount of the health consequences resulting from drug abuse, including HIV/AIDS. In fact, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in African American men ages 35-44 and African American women ages 25-34 (National Vital Statistics Report, 2002).

Unfortunately, HIV prevention interventions targeting behavioral risk reduction have not been as successful in African American populations as they have been in other populations. NIDA is working to strategically reduce the disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS among the African American population. Researchers are being encouraged to conduct more studies in this population and to target their studies in geographic areas where HIV/AIDS is high and/or growing among African Americans. NIDA will continue to increase efforts to understand the social and cultural context, as well as the biological mechanisms contributing to the spread of this disease.

As one can see, the NIDA research portfolio is continually evolving. There are a number of research areas in which NIDA plans to expand that will require the expertise of those in the social sciences, including: genetic/proteomic-environment interactions, developmental processes, and social cognitive sciences. The importance of involving sociologists in the field of drug abuse research cannot be overemphasized. Only through a better understanding of the social factors that influence individual decision making, the interaction of individual and social environmental factors, life-course and trans-generational effects, and the collective impact of neighborhood factors or other aspects of locally shared environments on drug abusing behaviors will we be able to craft more effective prevention and treatment programs, thus making sociologists key partners in our efforts to reduce the devastating effects of drug abuse in our society. For information on funding opportunities, visit: www.nida.nih.gov/funding/rfa.html.