Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
08:53
Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
Mapping and measuring addiction recovery: Recommended protocols through the PHENX toolkit
John F Kelly1, Sarah Zemore2, Corrie L Vilsaint3
1Recovery Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, USA.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|July 25, 2026
Summary
The PhenX Toolkit now offers 15 new protocols for addiction recovery research, covering biopsychological, socio-ecological, and service-related aspects. These validated tools enhance data harmonization and research efficiency in addiction recovery studies.
Area of Science:
- Addiction research
- Public health
- Psychology
Background:
- Addiction recovery is a key concept in public health frameworks and policy.
- Numerous recovery measures exist, necessitating consensus for data harmonization.
- The PhenX Toolkit lacked recovery-specific measures prior to this initiative.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and recommend validated protocols for addiction recovery research.
- To establish a consensus-based collection of measures for the PhenX Toolkit.
- To promote data comparability and synthesis in recovery research.
Main Methods:
- A Substance Use and Recovery Working Group (SURWG) utilized the PhenX consensus process.
- Protocols were selected based on specificity, brevity, psychometrics, scoring, and accessibility.
- Feedback from the scientific community (86 respondents) informed final recommendations.
Main Results:
- In 2025, the PhenX Toolkit released 15 new recommended protocols.
- Protocols cover three key recovery elements: biopsychological, socio-ecological, and treatment/services.
- Specific measures include post-acute withdrawal, craving, social relationships, recovery identity, and service satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- The PhenX Toolkit now features a Substance Use Recovery Specialty Collection.
- These pre-vetted protocols offer multidimensional applicability for researchers.
- The collection enhances empirical efficiency and research investment returns in addiction recovery.
