Jornal de Trauma e Tratamento

An Instrument for Assessment of Longitudinal Community Resocialization Through a Group Process Intervention

Abstract

David F Allen, Marie Allen-Carroll, Keva Y Bethell and James Manganello

“The Family: People Helping People Project” is a community-based group process intervention involving personal sharing to confront social fragmentation in the Bahamas. A preliminary study suggested that the family may influence gradual change in the Bahamian community, and was followed by a 3-year extension that examined aspects of resocialization in the community. Participants reported several changes after Family enrollment, with increasing significance in some areas. While earlier testing periods showed decreases in negative parameters and no changes in positive factors, later periods showed tapering of improvements in negativity with increased positive tendencies. The need to measure resocialization following therapy in The family necessitated the development and validation of a novel instrument. The Allen Resocialization Scale™ attempts to define resocialization based on many established constructs of personal growth, and is a promising tool with many potential applications across populations.