Measurement in SW Research

Kaitlyn Seramur
November 12, 2014
SW 4810
Assignment # 1: Measurement in SW Research

Mariners Inn is an agency that provides substance abuse and homelessness treatment for
men. The facility is located in Cass Corridor, near Downtown Detroit. Within the main building
there are three components that make up the agency; admissions, 90 day treatment residency, and
extended residency. Outside of the main building, Mariners Inn also operates two transitional
housing units within the city of Detroit. The first is an apartment complex right next to their main
building which is used for the men who are ready to live independently but still need help
finically. They are required to pay of rent and have the opportunity to save money and practice
independent living. The second unit is a house in the North End neighborhood of Detroit which
also serves as a transitional housing unit. A portion of Mariners Inns funding comes from The
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which is why they were able to
purchases the housing for transitional living.
Mariners Inn offers a wide range of services that promote a healthy recovery process
through both inpatient and outpatient treatment programs. The inpatient programs include
substance abuse treatment for men of all ages. They are required to attend group sessions and
classes every day, meet with their counselor at least once a week, and participate in community
service events. The classes and groups are broad and focus on more than just substance abuse.
Some examples of the classes include, healthy relationships, strengthening families, relapse
prevention and anger management. Within the 90 day inpatient treatment there is program
specifically for younger adult men ages 18-29, this program is called the Residential Youth
Prevention Program (RYPP). This is an excellent program unique to Mariners Inn that caters to

the specifics needs of the younger men. The survey I have created is to measure the satisfaction
and outcome of this client populations.
More generally, the client population at Mariners Inn includes men of all ages and
backgrounds. Some with little education attainment, others with masters degrees. Majority of the
clients at this agency are there voluntarily, meaning they made the decision to get treatment. This
fact has a lot to do with their outcome of treatment and recovery time. Men come in seeking
treatment who have been living on the streets, others who come in straight from jail or prison,
and some who come from their own home. All of these characteristics are true to the RYPP guys,
but additionally, many of them are working on their GED, many are working on building a
professional resume in order to prepare for the work force. Others are not ready to begin going
back to school or work on professional portfolio, that being said these issues impact
measurement of survey. The survey should be in paper form and should read to clients in the
form of a brief interview. Another factor that impacts measurements of this survey is the length,
many of the guys are working on motivational skills therefore may not have much motivation to
do it. That being said, making sure that the survey is short in length and easy to understand will
impact whether or not the survey gets completed.
The survey I have created is a short questionnaire in the form of a qualitative research
study. The purpose of this survey is to test the satisfaction and effect on recovery of the men
enrolled in RYPP. Additionally, a better view on what aspects of the program (vocational
services, peer mentoring, ect.) the men are taking advantage of while enrolled in the program.
Since this is not a program that every treatment facility offers it is important to figure out if the
men have ever been enrolled in a program such as this prior to this. Additionally it will help gain
a better understanding of the impact that RYPP has on the men enrolled as well as help those in

administrative positions to enhance program or even create a similar program at other agencies.
During my internship I haven working closely with this client population and I am curious to
learn more on their perception, satisfaction and effectiveness of the program.
The peer-reviewed article that I have decided to use for this assignment is titled Early
adolescent patterns of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana polysubstance use and young adult
substance use outcomes in a nationally representative sample (Moss. H., et al 2014). It would be
beneficial for gaining a better understanding of the client population before administering the
survey I have created. The article gives an in-depth look at substance abuse in young adults and
the relationship between using more than one substance before entering the young adult age (1825).

Reference:

Moss, H. B., Chen, C. M., & Yi, H. (2014). Early adolescent patterns of alcohol, cigarettes, and
marijuana polysubstance use and young adult substance use outcomes in a nationally
representative sample. Drug And Alcohol Dependence, 13651-62.
doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.12.011.

Residential Youth Prevention Program Survey:

The purpose of this survey is to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness and recovery
outcome of RYPP
1. How old are you (in years)? ______
2. How long have you been here at Mariners Inn (in days)?
a. 1-30
b. 30-60
c. 60-90
3. How many times have you been in treatment?
a. 1-3
b. 4-6
c. 7 or more
4. Aside from this agency, what other agencies (treatment facilities) had a program for
young adults (ages 18-29)?_________
5. Do you feel like RYPP is helping in your recovery?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Unsure
6. Do you feel like RYPP is preparing you for the real world (life after treatment)?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Unsure
7. What elements of RYPP have you taken advantage off:
a. Vocational services
b. Peer Mentors
c. Weekend Retreats
d. Art Therapy
8. How satisfied are you with RYPP?
a. Satisfied
b. Neutral
c. Not satisfied

Codebook:
Question #1 in the survey: How old are you in years?
Variable label: Age
Variable description: Age of Client in Years
Variable values: Range from 18-29, SYSMIS=999
Level of Measurement: Nominal
Question #2 in the survey: How long have you been at Mariners Inn?
Variable label: ClientStay
Variable description: Amount of time at this agency
Variable values: Range from 1-90 days
Level of Measurement: Nominal
Question #3 in the survey: How many times have you been in treatment?
Variable label: Clienttreatment
Variable description: Number of times client has been in treatment
Variable values: Range from 1-3, 4-6, 7 or more
Level of measurement: Nominal
Question #4 in the survey: Aside from this agency, what other agencies (treatment facilities)
had a program for young adults (ages 18-29)?
Variable label: OtherRYPP
Variable description: Other agencies who offer programs specifically for young adults
Variable values: Range from 0-3, 4-6, 7 or more
Variable measurement: Ratio
Question #5 in the survey: Do you feel like RYPP is helping in your recovery?
Variable label: RYPPhelp
Variable description: Is RYPP helping in client recovery
Variable values: 1=Yes, 2=No, 3=Unsure
Variable measurement: Nominal
Question #6 in the survey: Do you feel like RYPP is preparing you for the real world (life after
treatment)?
Variable label: Posttreatment
Variable description: Preparation for life after treatment
Variable values: 1=Yes, 2=No, 3=Unsure
Variable measurement: Nominal
Question #7 in the survey: What services in RYPP have you taken advantage of?
Variable label: RYPPservices
Variable description: Use of client services within RYPP
Variable values: 1=Vocational services, 2=Peer mentor, 3=Weekend retreats, 4=Art therapy

Variable measurement: Nominal

Question #8 in the survey: How satisfied are you with RYPP?
Variable label: RYPPsatisfaction
Variable description: Client satisfaction with RYPP
Variable values: 1=Satisfied, 2=Neutral, 3=Satisfied
Variable measurement: Ordinal