Recovery home networks as social capital

Community & Applied Soc Psy

Guerrero

Salomon‐Amend

et al. 2020

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Recovery homes help individuals who have completed substance use treatment programs re‐integrate back into the community. However, it is unclear what factors determine who will succeed in these settings and how these factors may be reinforced or undermined by the social interactions and social networks between residents living in the Oxford House recovery homes. In an effort to better understand these factors, the current study evaluated (a) the extent to which the density of social networks (i.e., friendship, willingness to loan money, and advice‐seeking relationships) is associated with social capital (i.e., sense of community, quality of life, hopefulness, self‐efficacy), and (b) whether the density of social networks predicts relapse over time. Among the findings, willingness to loan money was positively associated with all four individual‐level social capital variables, suggesting that availability of instrumental resources may be important to ongoing recovery. To test whether these house‐level social network factors then support recovery, a survival analysis was conducted, finding associations between relapse risk and the network densities over a 28‐month span. In particular, more dense advice‐seeking networks were associated with higher rates of relapse, suggesting that the advice‐seeking might represent a sign of organisational house problems, with many residents unsure of issues related to their recovery. In contrast, more dense loaning networks were associated with less relapse, so willingness to lend money could be measuring a willingness to help those in need. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advice seeking and loaning of money related to relapse in recovery homes

Community & Applied Soc Psy

Guerrero

Salomon‐Amend

et al. 2020

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“…These findings are consistent with qualitative research that found supportive social relationships among persons utilizing MAT are instrumental in promoting quality of life (De Maeyer et al , 2011). It is likely that social networks within recovery homes involving residents utilizing MAT in the present study were enhanced through common bonds with other residents utilizing MAT that facilitated social integration and increased their social capital (Jason et al , 2019). In addition, our findings suggest homophily among recovery home residents might be a protective factor that enhances stress resilience believed to be a missing component to treatment for this population (Cadet, 2016), possibly aiding in medication adherence among those with psychiatric comorbidities (Litz & Leslie, 2017), but such claims can only be substantiated by additional research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Psychiatric severity and stress among recovery home residents utilizing medication assisted treatment: a moderated mediation analysis of homophily

Majer

Bobak

2021

ADD

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychiatric severity and stress among persons utilizing medication assisted treatment (MAT), and there is a need to identify resources that promote resilience against these risk factors. Although recovery homes might complement pharmacological interventions for persons using MAT, a lack of homophily (e.g. similar experiences) among residents could produce stress and increase psychiatric severity. The purpose of this paper is to examine stress and psychiatric severity in relation to recovery outcomes, and whether homophily moderated these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among recovery home residents who were recruited from the USA, including those using (n = 40) and not using (n = 132) MAT. Participants’ levels of psychiatric severity, stress, abstinence self-efficacy and quality of life were assessed in addition to whether residents using MAT were living with at least one other resident who used MAT. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether homophily among residents using MAT would moderate the mediating effects of stress on the relationships between psychiatric severity and recovery outcomes (abstinence-self efficacy, quality of life). Findings Mediating effects were observed but they were significant only through homophily. Although stress increased the negative effects of psychiatric severity among residents using MAT, significantly lesser effects were observed among those living with residents using MAT. Practical implications Although psychiatric (problem) severity and stress threaten recovery for persons with substance use disorders, little is known how they impact recovery among those living in community-based settings such as recovery homes. In addition, there is a need to identify community resources that would complement MAT protocols, as patients who use MAT face unique stressors related to their sense of shared interests and experiences (i.e. homophily) when developing social bonds with others in recovery. Social implications This study suggests the social networks within recovery homes reduce the effects of psychiatric severity and stress, and that these effects are lessened for residents who use MAT when they live with others who also use MAT. Originality/value Little is known about recovery home residents who use MAT and have high psychiatric severity. Findings suggest homophily among persons using MAT living in recovery homes who have high psychiatric severity can promote resilience.

“…In contrast, close friendship was defined by being rated as a close friend. Being willing to lend resources was operationalized as being willing to loan another resident $500 or $100 (see Jason et al, 2020 for more details). In a whole network, each resident rates all other residents, and from these ratings, we were able to establish measures of density (dividing existing ties or connections by all potential ties), reciprocity (proportion of ties that are reciprocated), transitivity (describes triads and thus network clustering), and three cycles (the absence of hierarchy) (see Jason et al, 2020, for more details).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social integration in recovery living environments: A dynamic network approach

Journal Community Psychology

Bobak

Islam

et al. 2021

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Oxford Houses (OHs) are a large network of self‐run community‐based settings for individuals with substance use disorders. This present study explored a model based on conceptualizing recovery home social systems as dynamic multirelational (multiplex) social networks. The model is developed from data obtained from 42 OH recovery homes in three parts of the US, addressing whole networks of friendship, close friendship, and willingness to loan money. Findings indicated that close friend and loan relationships mutually reinforced each other over time as they coevolved. These types of insights can help community psychologists to better understand complex network dynamics in community‐based settings.