Community Wise: Evaluating Treatment Fidelity

Abstract

This study focuses on evaluating the treatment fidelity of Community Wise, a multi-level intervention aiming to reduce substance use among formerly incarcerated individuals in Newark, New Jersey. These individuals had a substance abuse history. Community Wise seeks to promote critical thinking and dialogue among these individuals. Additionally, they strive to empower them to examine ecological inequalities and community level action to combat social issues.
As a group, we analyzed 16 sessions, 1-2 hours in length, between the Community Wise facilitators and participants. We then used a standardized fidelity measure to rate each session depending on the facilitator and group performances. Preliminary results showed an adherence of 70.6 percent, acceptable facilitator competence, and participants’ critical consciousness of 47 percent.
Over the course of this project, we learned many different skills such as time management, critical thinking, and how to increase inter-rater reliability. This project was a great step toward learning more about research, and researching our own interests in the future.