Protocol - Future Service Needs - Self-Help Involvement

Description

The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Initial (GAIN-I) Self-Help Involvement protocol is a structured interview administered by an interviewer to assess the need for additional help with alcohol or drug use issues. The interview includes two key items (S10 and S10a) from the GAIN-I instrument, focusing on future service planning. Respondents answer whether they need help immediately, within the next 3 months, or later, and indicate the type of service needed related to substance use, treatment, and mutual-help organizations.

Specific Instructions

To measure past service use (lifetime and past 30 days), see the Use of Treatment and Recovery Support Services.

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.

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.

Availability

This protocol has limited availability; permission required for use.

Protocol

The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Initial (GAIN-I)

The Substance Use and Recovery Working Group (WG) recommends that investigators collect items S10 and S10a from the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Initial (GAIN-I). Item 10 asks how soon the respondent will need help with their alcohol or drug situation (e.g., right away, within 3 months or longer, already getting help, and no help needed, etc.). Item S10a asks the respondent if they want more help in specific areas of their life (e.g., with alcohol or drug use, situation at home or work, detoxification, treatment, medication, etc.).

The GAIN-I is a proprietary instrument and administration requires a licensing agreement from Chestnut Health System:

Chestnut Health Systems

720 West Chestnut Street

Bloomington, IL 61701

Telephone: 309-827-6026

Email: gaininfo@chestnut.org

The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) is property of and copyright © Chestnut Health Systems. To obtain licensing to use the GAIN please visit http://www.gaincc.org or contact the GAIN Project Coordination Team at (309) 451-7900 or GAINInfo@chestnut.org.

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 Substance Use and Recovery 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	No
Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection	No
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual	No

Mode of Administration

Interviewer-administered questionnaire

Lifestage

Adult

Participants

Adults ages 18 and older

Selection Rationale

The Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Initial (GAIN-I) is a well-established and validated instrument to assist with diagnosis of substance use problems and planning for treatment. These two questions from the GAIN-I were compared to similar instruments and selected because they capture the participant’s desire for additional help with drug and alcohol issues.

Language

English, Spanish

Standards

Standard	Name	ID	Source

Derived Variables

None

Process and Review

Not Applicable

Protocol Name from Source

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Initial (GAIN-I)

Source

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Initial (GAIN-I) © Chestnut Health Systems. Use of Psychosocial and Pharmacological Treatment and Recovery Support Services - Self-Help Involvement. Adapted from GAIN-I Initial Assessment (Version 5.7.8), 2021.

General References

Kelly, J. F., Urbanoski, K. A., Hoeppner, B. B., & Slaymaker, V. (2011). Facilitating comprehensive assessment of 12-step experiences: A multidimensional measure of mutual-help activity. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 293, 181–203. http://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2011.586280

Protocol ID

590604

Variables

Export Variables

Variable Name	Variable ID	Variable Description	dbGaP Mapping

Substance Use Recovery

Measure Name

Treatment and Recovery Support Services

Release Date

January 30, 2025

Definition

Psychosocial treatment is psychotherapy, pharmacological treatment is medication, and recovery support services are nonclinical interventions.

Purpose

Recovery may include use of a variety of treatment and recovery support services that people may utilize to mobilize and/or maintain adaptive and salutary recovery-related change. This measure can be used to assess lifetime and past 30-day use of “assisted” (i.e., formal treatment/medications, mutual help organizations/recovery community centers, recovery housing, recovery coaching, etc.) versus “unassisted” resolution pathways.

Keywords

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Initial, GAIN-I, self-help, future service needs, alcohol use, drug use, support services, substance use, substance use disorder, SUD, addiction

Measure Protocols

Protocol ID	Protocol Name
590601	Use of Treatment and Recovery Support Services
590602	Mutual-help Group Involvement and Treatment Attendance
590603	12-Step Group Participation
590604	Future Service Needs - Self-Help Involvement