A Peer Support Scale for Adults Treated for Psychoactive Substance–Use Disorder: A Rasch Analysis

The literature suggests that peer support is protective of relapse for adults treated for substance-use disorder. However, to our knowledge there is no standard measure of peer support. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to use Rasch analysis to assess a 13-item peer support scale used in a group of adults treated for primary psychoactive substance–abuse disorder. The participants (n = 408) are adults who were discharged from an inpatient substance-abuse treatment program from five successive years, 2004–2009. Overall, it is acceptable to surmise that items 1–12 are part of the same dimension for the 13-item scale. Given the prominence of therapeutic communities as a mode of primary treatment and the importance of peer support, it is important to both the academic and treatment communities to have a standard way to measure peer support. The scale presented here can be useful for this purpose. HIGHLIGHTS: We asses a peer support scale for those treated for substance abuse. We examine characteristics of the peer support scale. We provide an option to measure peer support for those treated for substance abuse.