This is a revision of grant application DA 1272-01, The Family Impact Survey: An Interview for Families of Drug Users, which was reviewed in March 1999. This research will further the development of the Family Impact Survey; a comprehensive assessment tool that measures the special problems faced by family member and significant others (FSOs) of drug abusers. The instrument addresses drug and alcohol use of family members and seven problem areas: Emotional, Relationship, Lifestyle, Legal, Financial, Health, and Physical Abuse. While research has documented increased prevalence of illness and increased domestic violence among FSOs of drug users, most studies have focused on psychological and interpersonal functioning of the family members of alcoholics. Systematic research exploring multiple aspects of the problems faced by FSOs of variety of drug users is virtually nonexistent, despite acknowledgment in both professional and lay literature that drug addiction affects the entire family. One factor hindering a comprehensive approach to the problems faced these FSOs is the lack of a multidimensional instrument to assess the wide range of problems they face. The Family Impact Survey collects standard, comprehensive, clinically pertinent information about the wide variety, of problems that beset families of drug abusers. This research will utilize a broad clinical sample to establish the interrater agreement and test-retest reliability of the instrument, develop standardized scores for different areas of the instrument, conduct psychometric/statistical analyses to refine the areas, establish internal consistency, and determine inter-correlation of problem area scores. The work proposed does not complete all the steps necessary for establishing a psychometrically sound instrument. Later studies will address issues of instrument validity and will examine whether the psychometric properties initially established here are maintained with a much large, representatively sampled population. Further development of this instrument is an important step in better understanding the impact of drug abuse on families, informing clinical assessment and treatment planning facilitating clinical research, and developing health policy for drug abuse treatment and for individuals dealing with the stress of a close relationship with a drug user. In addition, it could be a useful outcome measure in drug abuse treatment, providing information about improvements and cost-offsets that extend beyond the drug abuser to his or her family.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA012720-03
Application #
6378929
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SNEM-2 (01))
Program Officer
Thomas, Yonette
Project Start
2000-09-30
Project End
2004-08-31
Budget Start
2001-09-01
Budget End
2002-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$250,676
Indirect Cost
Name
Treatment Research Institute, Inc. (TRI)
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19106
Hudson, Clifton R; Kirby, Kimberly C; Clements, Nicolle T et al. (2014) Social adjustment of women with and without a substance-abusing partner. J Psychoactive Drugs 46:106-13
Benishek, Lois A; Carter, Meridith; Clements, Nicolle T et al. (2012) Psychometric assessment of a self-administered version of the Significant Other Survey. Psychol Addict Behav 26:986-93
Benishek, Lois A; Kirby, Kimberly C; Dugosh, Karen Leggett (2011) Prevalence and frequency of problems of concerned family members with a substance-using loved one. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 37:82-8
Kirby, Kimberly C; Dugosh, Karen Leggett; Benishek, Lois A et al. (2005) The Significant Other Checklist: measuring the problems experienced by family members of drug users. Addict Behav 30:29-47
Hudson, Clifton R; Kirby, Kimberly C; Firely, Monica L et al. (2002) Social adjustment of family members and significant others (FSOs) of drug users. J Subst Abuse Treat 23:171-81