Robert M. Bray, Ph.D., a fellow of the American Psychological Association, is a senior research psychologist and senior director of the Substance Abuse Epidemiology and Military Behavioral Health Program. His research interests focus on the epidemiology of substance use and other health behaviors in military and civilian populations with an emphasis on understanding the prevalence, causes, correlates, and consequences of these behaviors. He has directed nine comprehensive worldwide Department of Defense surveys of military personnel that comprise the most widely cited data on substance use and health behaviors in the military. He is preparing a book summarizing findings from these studies. Dr. Bray is principal editor of Drug Use in Metropolitan America, which integrates findings from a large-scale study of drug use among diverse populations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. He has published and presented widely in the area of substance use and health-related behaviors.
This book describes, relates and integrates findings from a study of the Washington DC metropolitan area that looked at the nature and extent of drug use in a single urban setting. The research strategy involved focusing particularly on groups which have been traditionally underrepresented in household populations. The book serves as a methodological primer on how to undertake a study such as this. It places these findings in the larger context of the national drug abuse problem, as well as related social ills such as crime and homelessness. A concluding chapter looks squarely at some of the implications of the study, pointing the way for further research, but especially for public policy decisions regarding drug use.
