Protocol - Brief Assessment of Social Network Characteristics
Description
The Social Network Assessment (SNA) is a self- or interviewer-administered, 9-item scale measuring (a) total network size, (b) substance use behavior of network members, and (c) support for substance use and recovery (all coded as counts). Responses to each item are largely treated separately (i.e., there is no total score) and can be left as counts or converted into percentages of the total network. Refer to the source publication for additional information.
Specific Instructions
The PhenX Substance Use and Recovery Working Group (WG) notes that questions 5a and 5b refer to 12-step recovery program acronyms, including AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), CA (Cocaine Anonymous), and NA (Narcotics Anonymous), that may not be relevant for all populations. Investigators may want to remove questions 5a and 5b or modify these questions for other scenarios (e.g., to ask about people about any mutual-help group that they attend).
Terminology related to substances, substance use, and recovery is fluid. Updates in protocol language may be appropriate based on circumstance. Suggestions for revision have been offered to update answer responses or other components of the questionnaires to account for the constantly changing landscape. These suggestions have not been tested or validated in research studies but may be considered by investigators to enhance relevance.
The Substance Use and Recovery WG recommends first ascertaining that the participant is using or has been using alcohol or other drugs and is or was recently enrolled in a treatment program.
The Substance Use and Recovery WG notes that Kaskutas’ Social Network Assessment (SNA) is a quick, self-administered questionnaire to gather the basics of a respondent’s social network. In comparison, the Important People Drug and Alcohol (IPDA) is a more comprehensive, interviewer-administered instrument suitable for gathering more detailed information on the social network.
Protocols may include terms and language that could be triggering to respondents. Investigators are encouraged to have resources in place to help respondents cope with triggers as needed.
Availability
This protocol is freely available; permission not required for use.
Protocol
KASKUTA'S SOCIAL NETWORK ASSESSMENT (SNA)
1. About how many friends and family members (including your spouse, lover/s, or partner/s) do you regularly have contact with? (By regularly, we mean you see them or talk on the phone with them once or more every couple of weeks.)
____Friends and family members
[ASK Q2 THRU Q6 IF 1 = 1-200]
2. Of the [Q1] people you regularly have contact with, how many are heavy drinkers or drug users?
____People
[ASK IF Q2 > 0]
2a. How many of these heavy drinkers or drug users do you see at least once or twice a week?
____People
3. Of the [Q1] people you regularly have contact with, how many encourage you to drink or use drugs?
____People
4. Of the [Q1] people that you regularly have contact with, how many don't drink or use drugs at all?
____People
5. Of the [Q1] people you regularly have contact with, how many actively support your effort to quit drinking and using drugs?
____People
5a. Did you meet any of these [Q4] people who support your quitting in AA, CA, or NA?
1[ ]Yes
2[ ]No
[ASK IF Q5A = 01]
5b. How many did you meet in [AA, CA, or NA]?
____People
6. How many people are you no longer in contact with because of their drinking or drug use?
____People
Personnel and Training Required
None
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Self-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adult, Senior
Participants
Adults ages 18 and older
Selection Rationale
The Kaskutas, Bond, and Humphreys (2002) Social Network Assessment (SNA) describes a respondent’s overall social network size; substance use behavior of network members; and support for substance use and recovery. The protocol assesses both substance use behavior and support and has been used in several large studies, where indices strongly predicted alcohol outcomes and mediated benefits of mutual-help group involvement and treatment. Further, the questionnaire is brief, can be self-administered, and is simple to administer and score.
Language
English
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Not Applicable
Protocol Name from Source
Kaskutas et al. Social networks as mediators of the effect of Alcoholics Anonymous. Addiction, 2002.
Source
Kaskutas, L. A., Bond, J., & Humphreys, K. (2002). Social networks as mediators of the effect of Alcoholics Anonymous. Addiction, 97(7), 891-900. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00118.x
General References
Bond, J., Kaskutas, L. A., & Weisner, C. (2003). The persistent influence of social networks and alcoholics anonymous on abstinence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 64(4), 579-588. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsa.2003.64.579
Subbaraman, M. S., & Kaskutas, L. A. (2012). Social support and comfort in AA as mediators of "Making AA easier" (MAAEZ), a 12-step facilitation intervention. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 26(4), 759-765. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028544
Protocol ID
590201
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping |
|---|
Measure Name
Social Network (SN) Characteristics
Release Date
January 30, 2025
Definition
One’s social network (SN) is the set of people who are important to that person or who the person regularly interacts with. SN characteristics can be categorized as structural (i.e., by composition) or as functional (i.e., by quality) and reflect general support and specific support for abstinence, treatment, or recovery. SNs may have positive or negative impacts on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery.
Purpose
Social network (SN) indices have been repeatedly and robustly associated with substance use cessation, recovery maintenance, and relapse outcomes among those seeking help for substance use disorders (SUDs). SN measures often mediate (i.e., help explain) SUD intervention effectiveness.
Keywords
substance use disorder, mental health services, social relationship, loneliness, depression, polysubstance use, relapse, social network (SN), substance use, recovery, social connectedness, addiction
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 590201 | Brief Assessment of Social Network Characteristics |
| 590202 | Comprehensive Interviewer-administered Assessment of Social Network Characteristics |