Replication of psychometric properties and predictive validity of the Important People Drug and Alcohol Interview

Abstract

Owens, M., & Zywiak, W. (2016). Replication of psychometric properties and predictive validity of the Important People Drug and Alcohol Interview.  The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 5 (2), 57-64. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v5i2.217 Aims: Social support is a predictor of alcohol and drug use. The Important People Drug and Alcohol (IPDA) interview and its predecessor, the Important People and Activities (IPA) measure, have been used to demonstrate this predictive relationship. The purpose of this study was to replicate the findings from Zywiak et al. (2009) in a sample of probationers with substance use disorders. Design: Analyses mirrored those done previously to replicate the associations between social networks and substance use. The IPDA was used to assess social networks before and after incarceration. Form-90 (Tonigan, Miller, & Brown, 1997) was used to measure substance use. Participants: Individuals were recruited from a local probation office. Information was collected from a sample of 50 male probationers with substance use disorders recently released from jail. Conclusions: Results showed that many of the previous findings from Zywiak et al. (2009) were similar to those found in the current study. This adds to the evidence that the IPDA is a promising measure of social networks and examining how those networks relate to substance use outcomes. The use of the IPDA may be beneficial for both research and clinical purposes, while evaluating individuals with alcohol and other drug use disorders.