Bradley Hasbro researcher nets $2M grant

PROVIDENCE – Marina Toulou-Shams, a psychologist from the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center, was recently awarded a $2 million grant to research the efficacy of various means of combatting alcohol and drug abuse among court-involved teenage girls who are not currently in jail.

Toulou-Shams’ study will involve 200 girls who have been processed in Rhode Island Family Court, and will monitor the effects of the interventions on the girls’ drug and alcohol use. Among the programs whose effectiveness will be measured is VOICES, a gender-responsive drug use treatment program.

“Research has demonstrated that girls in the juvenile justice system have different pathways into the system than boys,” Toulou-Shams said. “For example, girls’ legal issues are often related to running away, shoplifting and prostitution, versus boys who enter the system for what are perceived as more typical criminal offenses such as breaking and entering or assault. This suggests that gender-specific interventions are necessary in order to address the gender-specific risk factors related to future drug use and recidivism for girls versus boys.”

The study will also attempt to determine family and community factors that may impact the girls’ risk behaviors, such as parent-child communication and neighborhood environment.

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