Protocol - Comprehensive Interviewer-administered Assessment of Social Network Characteristics
Description
The Important People Drug and Alcohol (IPDA) Interview is an estimated 15-minute interview comprised of 12 items. Respondents are first asked to provide the first names and relationships of up to 12 individuals who are within their social networks (SNs) and who have been important to the respondent. The respondent then rates each network member on contact frequency, importance, supportiveness, drinking status, drinking frequency, how the network member reacted to the respondent’s drinking, drug use status, drug use frequency, how the network member reacted to the respondent’s drug use and how the network member felt about the person receiving treatment, all on Likert-type scales.
The IPDA is scored on 23 indices, including (1) network size, (2) size of daily network, (3) average importance rating, (4) drinking statuses of network members multiplied by frequency of contact and averaged across all members, (5) drinking frequency of members multiplied by frequency of contact averaged across all members, (6) percentage of heavy drinkers in the network, (7) percentage of abstainers and recovering alcoholics in the network, (8) drug use status of each network member multiplied by frequency of contact, (9) drug use frequency of members multiplied by frequency of contact averaged across all members, (10) percentage of heavy drug users in the network, and (11) percentage of abstainers and drug users in recovery in the network. Indices 12–17 address support for drinking or drug use of the most important network members and are calculated based on support ratings of network members rated very or extremely important. Indices 18–20 address support in general, and indices 21–23 address support for treatment in terms of the highest support rating, the lowest support rating, and the average support rating. Users should refer to Zywiak et al. (2009) (see “Source”) and the scoring document for further details.
Specific Instructions
The protocol uses several 12-step recovery program acronyms including AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), CA (Cocaine Anonymous), and NA (Narcotics Anonymous).
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 PhenX Substance Use and Recovery Working Group (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.
Respondents are first asked to provide the first names and relationships of up to 12 individuals who are within their social networks (SNs) and who have been important to the respondent. The respondent then rates each network member on contact frequency, importance, supportiveness, drinking status, drinking frequency, how the network member reacted to the respondent’s drinking, drug use status, drug use frequency, how the network member reacted to the respondent’s drug use, and how the network member felt about the person receiving treatment.
The Substance Use and Recovery WG recommends several wording changes. On item 2, for “father,” “brother,” “son,” and so on, they may want to add “includes step-“ to include stepfather, stepbrother, stepson, etc. Instead of “M.D.,” they may want to use “doctor.” In item 6, researchers may want to choose an alternative to the word “alcoholic.”
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
Important People Drug and Alcohol interview
Hi, my name is _______ and during the course of our interview, I am going to ask you some questions about the people that have been important to you during the past six months.
These people may be family members, friends, people from work, or anyone that you see as having had a significant impact on your life, regardless of whether or not you liked them.
The people I want to know about are those with whom you've had contact in the past six months.
If you have any questions during the interview, please do not hesitate to ask. Now, before we begin, do you have any questions?
1. Name (first name and last initial)
2. Relationship
1[ ]spouse (includes common-law: 7 years)
2[ ]boyfriend/girlfriend and live together
3[ ]boyfriend/girlfriend and don't live together
4[ ]ex-husband or ex-wife
5[ ]separated spouse (include common-law)
6[ ]ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend
7[ ]mother (includes stepmother
8[ ]father
9[ ]sister (includes stepsister, half-sister)
10[ ]brother
11[ ]daughter (includes stepdaughter)
12[ ]son
13[ ]grandmother
14[ ]grandfather
15[ ]aunt or uncle
16[ ]cousin
17[ ]niece or nephew
18[ ]mother-in-law
19[ ]father-in-law
20[ ]other extended family (for example second cousin)
21[ ]friend from work
22[ ]friend (not from work or knew before work)
23[ ]coworker
24[ ]boss
25[ ]fellow client
26[ ]friend from self-help group
27[ ]AA sponsor
28[ ]CBI sponsor
29[ ]medical management counselor
30[ ]research assistant
31[ ]M.D.
32[ ]nurse practitioner
33[ ]any other health care staff
34[ ]clergy
35[ ]bartender
36[ ]parole/probation officer
37[ ]other
3. Amount of Contact
7[ ]daily (7 times a week)
6[ ]three to six times a week
5[ ]once or twice a week
4[ ]every other week
3[ ]about once a month
2[ ]less than monthly
1[ ]once in past six months
4. How important has this person been to you?
6[ ]extremely important
5[ ]very important
4[ ]important
3[ ]somewhat important
2[ ]not very important
1[ ]not at all important
5. …Generally supportive of you?*
*To what extent is this person generally supportive of you, by being sensitive to your personal needs, helping you to think about things, solve problems, and by giving you the moral support you need?
6[ ]extremely supportive
5[ ]very supportive
4[ ]supportive
3[ ]somewhat supportive
2[ ]not vey supportive
1[ ]not at all supportive
6. Drinking Status
5[ ]heavy drinker
4[ ]moderate drinker
3[ ]light drinker
2[ ]abstainer
1[ ]recovering alcoholic
8[ ]don't know
7. How often does this person drink alcohol?
7[ ]daily
6[ ]three to six times per week
5[ ]one or two times per week
4[ ]about every other week
3[ ]about once a month
2[ ]less often than monthly
1[ ]once in past six month s
0[ ]not in past six months
8[ ]don't' know
8. How has this person reacted to your drinking?
5[ ]encouraged
4[ ]accepted
3[ ]neutral
2[ ]didn't accept
1[ ]left, or made you leave when you're drinking
8[ ]don't know
9. Drug Use Status
5[ ]heavy drug user
4[ ]moderate drug user
3[ ]light drug user
2[ ]abstainer
1[ ]recovering drug user
8[ ]don't know
10. How often does this person use drugs?
7[ ]daily
6[ ]three to six times a week
5[ ]one or two times a week
4[ ]about every other week
3[ ]about once a month
2[ ]less often than monthly
1[ ]once in past six months
0[ ]not in past six months
8[ ]don't know
11. How has this person reacted to your drug use?
5[ ]encouraged
4[ ]accepted
3[ ]neutral
2[ ]didn't accept
1[ ]left, or made you leave when you're using drugs
8[ ]don't know
12. How has this person felt about your coming for treatment?
6[ ]strongly supported
5[ ]supports it
4[ ]neutral
3[ ]mixed
2[ ]opposes it
1[ ]strongly opposes it
8[ ]doesn't know about it
Scoring
Personnel and Training Required
The interviewer must be trained to conduct personal interviews with individuals from the general population. The interviewer must be trained and found to be competent (i.e., tested by an expert) at the completion of personal interviews. The interviewer should be trained to prompt respondents further if a “don’t know” response is provided.
Equipment Needs
The Medical Cannabis Use, Polysubstance Use, and Recovery (MCPR) Working Group (WG) acknowledges these questions can be administered in a computerized or noncomputerized format (i.e., paper-and-pencil instrument). Computer software is necessary to develop computer-assisted instruments. The interviewer will require a laptop computer/handheld computer to administer a computer-assisted questionnaire.
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | Yes |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | Yes |
Mode of Administration
Interviewer-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adult, Senior
Participants
Adults ages 18 and older currently using drugs or alcohol and receiving treatment
Selection Rationale
The Important People Drug and Alcohol (IPDA) interview is based on the widely used Important People and Activities (IPA) scale, which focuses on alcohol. The IPDA adds questions on drugs, making it appropriate for those with alcohol and drug use disorders; the IPDA also drops assessment of activities. The IPDA was validated on a small sample of cocaine users and shows moderately good face validity and some associations with substance use outcomes.
Language
English
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Not Applicable
Protocol Name from Source
Important People Drug and Alcohol (IPDA) Interview
Source
Zywiak, W. H., Neighbors, C. J., Martin, R. A., Johnson, J. E., Eaton, C. A., & Rohsenow, D. J. (2009). The Important People Drug and Alcohol interview: Psychometric properties, predictive validity, and implications for treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 36(3), 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2008.08.001
General References
Groh, D. R., Jason, L. A., & Keys, C. B. (2008). Social network variables in alcoholics anonymous: A literature review.Clinical Psychology Review, 28(3), 430-450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2007.07.014
Owens, M. D., & Zywiak, W. H. (2016). Replication of psychometric properties and predictive validity of the Important People Drug and Alcohol interview. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 5(2), 57-64. https://doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v5i2.217
Protocol ID
590202
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, SUD, 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 |