The Oxford House Stability Questionnaire: An Effort to Classify Recovery Homes

Abstract

Recovery homes are located throughout the United States, with the self-governed Oxford Houses representing one of the largest networks with over 3000 homes. Although there is a growing literature on the characteristics and outcomes of these recovery homes, far less is known about differences among the homes. The current study used a set of characteristics that had been proposed by a leader within the Oxford House recovery movement, and a university research team operationalized them into what is now called the Oxford House Stability Questionnaire. This scale was administered to attendees at their annual convention. Results of a sample of 397 respondents who completed over 95% of the scale validated the notion that there are four different types of Oxford House recovery houses, including Survival, Stable, Successful, and Significant. This scale examined activities that might occur in these homes related to enhancing stability, and we were able to identify mechanisms related to general involvement, social support, and self-help. The findings suggest that these ecological and structural house characteristics are valuable ways to better understand these settings that are providing thousands of people with substance use disorders with distinctive environments for recovery.