The Reliability and Reciprocity of a Social Network Measure.

There have been few efforts to systematically develop reliable and valid measures of social networks, particularly in studies dealing with individuals having substance use disorders. In the current study, individuals living in recovery homes called Oxford Houses completed a 6-item measure of social networks. The Cronbach's alpha was .85 and a confirmatory factor analysis found excellent fit statistics with all items having substantial (> .70) load factors. In addition, the measure was independent of age, sex, and ethnicity and significantly related to length of stay in the recovery homes and quality of life. The authors have found that this instrument works well as an ego network with adequate psychometric properties and empirical relations to other recovery variables.