ABSTRACT
This pilot study used snowball recruitment methods and intensive interviews to assess personal drug-using networks and HIV risk behavior of injection drug users (IDUs). Index subjects were 22 methadone maintenance patients reporting current drug injection who were interviewed about personal drug-using networks both current and prior to treatment entry. The index subjects were then asked to recruit other network members to the study. Ninety-seven network members were identified and 40 interviewed, including 18 not in treatment. Index IDUs reported fewer co-IDUs for the treatment period than the pretreatment period, suggesting a reduction in risk of exposure to HIV. The combination of snowball recruitment and intensive interview procedures constitutes a useful method for studying IDU networks.
Subject(s)
Interview, Psychological , Methadone/therapeutic use , Opioid-Related Disorders/rehabilitation , Patient Selection , Social Support , Substance Abuse, Intravenous/rehabilitation , Adult , Female , HIV Infections/prevention & control , HIV Infections/transmission , Humans , Male , Methadone/adverse effects , Middle Aged , Motivation , New Jersey , Opioid-Related Disorders/psychology , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Philadelphia , Pilot Projects , Risk Factors , Social Identification , Substance Abuse, Intravenous/psychologyABSTRACT
The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was evaluated for its psychometric qualities in a Dutch alcoholic population admitted to an addiction treatment center in The Netherlands. Its factorial structure in this population was found to be consistent with the established six factor structure of the ASI. Reliability analysis revealed that the homogeneity of the subscales was acceptable with the exception of the Alcohol Scale. The six subscales were not highly intercorrelated. The results of this study indicate that the ASI is a useful instrument for the assessment of several problems associated with alcoholism. However, the Alcohol Scale appears to be limited as a diagnostic and research instrument in the field of inpatient treatment of alcohol dependence in The Netherlands.