How early life challenges affect drug use risk in rural children
Official title: Early Adversity and Drug Use Vulnerability Among Low Income Rural Children: Testing a Neuro-ecological Model of Resilience
Funded at University of Georgia · NIH-11012863 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how growing up in low-income rural areas affects children's brain development and their chances of misusing drugs, focusing on kids from rural Georgia and following them from age 7 to see how their environment impacts their behavior.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Georgia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Athens, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $683,680 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA055630-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11012863 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are low-income children aged 7 to 11 living in rural Georgia.
✕Less likely to help
Children who do not reside in rural areas or who are not from low-income backgrounds may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how living in low-income rural areas influences the brain development and risk of drug misuse in children. It focuses on children from rural Georgia, examining the unique challenges they face compared to urban counterparts. By integrating brain assessments with evaluations of environmental stressors and protective factors, the study aims to understand how these elements interact to affect children's vulnerability to drug use. The research will follow children starting at age 7, a critical period for understanding long-term effects on behavior.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to targeted interventions that help reduce drug use vulnerability in at-risk rural children.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown success in understanding the impact of environmental factors on child development, making this approach promising.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Georgia
Athens, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oshri, Assaf — University of Georgia
- Study coordinator: Oshri, Assaf
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How growing up poor in rural Georgia affects children's brains and risk for drug use
This project looks at how early poverty and stress in rural Georgia change children's brain systems and their later chances of using drugs.
-
Early hardship and drug-use risk in low-income rural children
This project looks at how hardships in early childhood affect brain development and later risk for drug use in low-income rural children starting at age seven.
-
How early life challenges affect drug use risk in rural children
This study looks at how growing up in low-income rural areas affects children's brain development and their chances of misusing drugs, focusing on kids from rural Georgia and following them from age 7 to see how their environment shapes their thinking and feelings.
-
Cognitive SuperAging: Exploring why some octogenarians stay sharp in memory
This NIH grant studies why a small group of people aged 80+ keep memory skills as good as much younger people, hoping to understand how to protect memory as we age.
-
National Neighborhood Data Archive helps researchers study aging health in U.S. neighborhoods
A nationwide data resource will help researchers understand how where people live affects health and aging, with a focus on respiratory illnesses in older adults.
-
Understanding how neurons resist and recover from toxic chemicals
Researchers are studying how brain cells fight back against harmful chemicals to help people survive exposure.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.