Social networks and substance abuse trajectories: Initial outcomes from a study of planned migration in Atlanta

The federally-funded HOPE VI policy is one of the largest planned relocation initiatives in the US, and disperses residents of public housing (PH) complexes to voucher-subsidized housing in the private market; new housing may be scattered across neighborhoods in the target city. Because relocaters have high rates of substance misuse before they move and because past research suggests relocations disrupt social networks, HOPE VI provides an opportunity to prospectively study how changes in networks relate to changes in alcohol and other drug (AOD) use patterns in a vulnerable population. Baseline, 6 and 12-month data were collected (pre and post-relocation) from a cohort of 172 Black PH residents; substance misusers were oversampled. Participants were asked to enumerate past 6-month friendship, kinship, and other network relations. Participants were also queried about demographic characteristics and substance use. Multivariate analyses tested the hypothesis that steeper declines in binge-drinking and AOD dependence would be reported by relocaters who experienced increased network density and decreased number of substance misusers in their network. Covariates included demographics and depression. Hierarchical modeling accounted for baseline clustering within PH complex. Preliminary analyses indicate that relocaters experienced significant declines in binge drinking and AOD-dependence over time. The average 22-year-old woman experienced a 1.2-unit reduction in AOD-dependence for each additional kin/family member added to her network. Residential migration may disrupt social and environmental cues for AOD use. Future research will assess neighborhood-level predictors, and whether perceived network changes are associated with behavioral health over the long term and compared with non-relocaters.