Cultural adaptation of RECOLLECT fidelity measure and checklists in a recovery-oriented NGO in Brazil

PurposeThe global spread of recovery colleges (RCs) demands culturally adapted fidelity measures to support international implementation and research. This study aims to translate, culturally adapt and pilot test the RECOLLECT Fidelity Measure and Checklists for Brazil, addressing the critical need for assessing RC fidelity in diverse contexts.Design/methodology/approachA rigorous five-step methodology was used for translation and cultural adaptation. This included initial and back-translation, consultation with original developers, multidisciplinary review and pilot testing of student and peer educator checklists within a Brazilian artistic-cultural recovery project.FindingsThis study produced a culturally adapted Brazilian Portuguese version of the instruments. Pilot data from the Checklists (descriptive, non-psychometric tools) showed that the adaptation mainly involved linguistic modifications for Brazilian relevance. The pilot demonstrated overall high fidelity to RC principles. However, the Co-production and Community Focus domains exhibited less alignment, suggesting areas for future Brazilian RC development.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first adaptation and pilot testing of RC fidelity instruments for a Latin American context, providing culturally appropriate measures to inform future recovery research and practice in the region. This study provides the necessary foundational step of cultural adaptation, which is a prerequisite for future psychometric validation of the Fidelity Measure. These findings highlight the feasibility and importance of adapting fidelity measures to local contexts, especially in resource-scarce regions such as Brazil and Latin America.