Self-Selection and Performance-Based Ratings: A Case Study in Program Evaluation

Abstract

Exhibits a strategy and an underlying rationale for the evaluation of complex programs for which: (1) voluntary self-selection into a treatment program is a condition of entry, (2) it is unknown whether the decision criteria for entry used by volunteers are the same or different from those of nonvolunteers, (3) the program has a multiplicity of components constituting the treatment, and (4) a control group from the target population cannot be assembled. These conditions are the context for evaluation of Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) programs for rehabilitation of chronic heroin addicts, which are the focus of this paper. Instances of the heroin abuse and treatment in Hong Kong, Sweden, and New York are reviewed. The natural history of heroin addiction is described and viewed as the baseline for comparison of voluntary MMT program participants with what would have happened to them if they had continued daily self-administration of heroin. Examples of a variety for intervention strategies aimed at controlling addiction are presented. A rationale for evaluation of MMT programs via performance-based rating indices is included. The domain of program evaluation via performance-based ratings is discussed and statements of problems for future research are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)