Table 1.
Description of IPA indices
| Important People and Activities Measure (IPA) | Variable Description and Coding | Response Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Index | ||
| Strength of Support | ||
| General Support | Extent person is “generally supportive of you, by being sensitive to your personal needs, helping you think about things, and by giving you the moral support you need.” Average scores for all members in the network were computed. | 1= Not at All Supportive to 6= Extremely supportive |
| Network Characteristics | ||
| Size of Almost Daily Network | Number of people in network with whom they have had contact with 3 to 7 times a week | N/A |
| Percent Drinkers in Network | Network members identified as light, moderate, or heavy drinkers were coded as drinkers. Abstainers and recovering alcoholics were coded as non-drinkers. The total number of drinkers divided by the number of network members gives the total percentage for each individual. | N/A |
| Percent Drug users in Network | Network members identified as light, moderate, or heavy drug users were coded as drug users. The total number of drug users divided by the number of network members gives the total percentage for each individual. | N/A |
| Percent Substance Users in Network | Overall percentage of the woman’s social network that is comprised of members who were coded as drinkers and/or drug users. The percent of substance users in the networks was also calculated separately for members designated as romantic partners, family members, and friends. | N/A |
| Alcohol Involvement Score | This index estimates the drinking frequency of network members weighted by frequency of contact. This score is calculated by multiplying the frequency of alcohol use by network members (e.g., daily drinking, drinking 3–6 days/week) by the amount of contact (e,g., daily, 3–6 times a week, 1–2 times a week) | Frequency of drinking: 0=not in the past month to 7=daily; Frequency of contact: 1=once in past 6 months to 7=daily |
| Drug Involvement Score | This index estimates the drug use frequency of network members weighted by frequency of contact. This score is calculated by multiplying the frequency of drug use by network members (e.g., daily drinking, drinking 3–6 days/week) by the amount of contact (e,g., daily, 3–6 times a week, 1–2 times a week) | Frequency of drug use: 0=not in the past month to 7=daily; Frequency of contact: 1=once in past 6 months to 7=daily |
| Type of Support Provided | ||
| Support for Treatment | Network members’ attitude towards the participant getting treatment. A mean score across network members was calculated. Three additional mean scores were created for network members coded as romantic partners, family members, and friends. | 1= Strongly Opposes to 6=Strongly Supports |
| Support for Drinkinga | The mean response to the participant’s drinking among all network members. Three additional scores were calculated for network members coded as romantic partners, family members, and friends. | 1= Left, or Made You Leave When You’re Drinking to 5=Encouraged |
| Support for Drug Usea | The mean response to the participant’s drug use among all network members. Three additional scores were calculated for network members coded as romantic partners, family members, and friends. | 1= Left, or Made You Leave When You’re Using Drugs to 5=Encouraged |
Note. Zywiak et al. 2002 provides detailed description and scoring of IPA indices.
a
These items were not answered if the individual had not used any alcohol or drugs in the past 3 months, therefore the n’s for these items are lower than other variables.