Measuring Recovery Capital and Determining Its Relationship to Outcome in an Alcohol Dependent Sample

OBJECTIVE: The current study was conducted to determine whether items culled from multiple measures and identified by a consensus panel as indicators of recovery capital would cohere as a unified, meaningful measure predictive of outcome. METHODS: Three-hundred twenty-three alcohol dependent individuals receiving inpatient care completed multiple psychosocial instruments at treatment intake and three-month post-admission follow-up. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis supported the multi-dimensional nature of the recovery capital construct. Modest relationships with proximal and distal outcomes were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Further work aimed at designing a psychometrically sound measure that specifically assesses the assets that someone brings with them into substance abuse treatment is needed.