The effects of program fidelity, gender, socioeconomic status, and school level were tested on various outcomes of a dating violence prevention program, Expect Respect. Fidelity data was collected from program facilitators, and individual posttest scores were gathered for individuals nested within each programmatic site. Multiple HLM models indicated that main effects for fidelity were present for the knowledge gained outcome scale, such that higher program fidelity led to higher posttest scores for participants. No other site level predictors affected outcomes or the fidelity-outcome relationship. Results from this study point towards the importance of implementing program fidelity when cognitive gains are a central goal of the program, whereas a more flexible program approach may be more optimal in conveying other programmatic components.

Program evaluations are increasingly assessing the impact of treatment delivery and program processes on outcomes. The current study examined the effects of program fidelity, measured across various dimensions, and relationship quality on behavior change and knowledge gained outcomes in 241 middle and high school students who were participating in Expect Respect, an evidence-based dating violence prevention program. Cross-level, hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses found that program fidelity was not a significant predictor of participant outcomes. However, main effects for relationship quality were present for the knowledge gained outcome measure. Subsequent cross-level interactions provided further support for the importance of relationship quality in prevention program outcomes.