scholarly journals Testing the Validity of the Recovery Assessment Scale Using an Australian Sample

2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 450-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy McNaught ◽  
Peter Caputi ◽  
Lindsay G. Oades ◽  
Frank P. Deane

Objective: Mental health services in Australia are increasingly becoming recovery orientated. However, there are varying meanings for recovery and few measures that specifically target recovery outcomes. The current study aimed to assess the construct and concurrent validity of a patient self-report measure, the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS). Method: Participants were 168 individuals with severe and persistent psychiatric disability who were participants in the Australian Integrated Mental Health Initiative (AIMhi) project. They completed self-report recovery and other mental health measures and their case workers completed the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out to examine the factor structure of the RAS. Results: Exploratory factor analysis of the RAS produced five factors that were replicated using confirmatory techniques. Each factor has satisfactory internal reliability (Cronbach α range = 0.73–0.91). The factors displayed convergent validity with positive and significant correlations with other recovery measures. Concurrent validity was demonstrated with significant but lower correlations with symptoms and clinician-rated measures of psychiatric functioning. Conclusion: The factors of the RAS are consistent with the consumer literature on recovery. Correlations with other variable suggest that the RAS is measuring something different from traditional symptom or functional mental health measures. Further research is needed to clarify the extent to which the RAS is able to capture the range of recovery experiences that have been described by patients.

2021 ◽  
pp. 136346152110597
Author(s):  
Lauren C. Ng ◽  
Jordan S. Solomon ◽  
Maithri Ameresekere ◽  
Judith Bass ◽  
David C. Henderson ◽  
...  

This study developed and validated a measure that captures variation in common local idioms of distress and mental health problems experienced by women in South Sudan, a country which has experienced over 50 years of violence, displacement, and political, social, and economic insecurity. This measure was developed during a randomized controlled trial of the Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI) and used qualitative Free Listing (n = 102) and Key Informant interviews (n = 27). Internal reliability and convergent validity were assessed using data from 3,137 randomly selected women (ages 14–47) in 100 communities in South Sudan. Test-retest and inter-rater reliability were assessed using responses from 180 women (ages 15–58) who completed the measure once, and 129 of whom repeated the measure an average of 12 days (SD = 8.3) later. Concurrent validity was assessed through the ratings of 22 AGI leaders about the presence or absence of mental health symptoms in the 180 women in the test-retest sample. The study resulted in the development of the South Sudan Mental Health Assessment Scale, a 24-item measure assessing six idioms of distress. The scale consisted of one factor and had excellent internal, test-retest, and interrater reliability. The scale also demonstrated good convergent and concurrent validity and performed well psychometrically. Moreover, its development provides an example for other organizations, working in environments where mental health measures have not yet been developed and validated, to create and validate measures relevant to their populations. In this way, the role of mental health in development settings can be more rapidly assessed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cavelti ◽  
M. Wirtz ◽  
P. Corrigan ◽  
R. Vauth

AbstractBackgroundThe recovery framework has found its way into local and national mental health services and policies around the world, especially in English speaking countries. To promote this process, it is necessary to assess personal recovery validly and reliably. The Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) is the most established measure in recovery research. The aim of the current study is to examine the factor structure of the German version of the RAS (RAS-G).MethodsOne hundred and fifty-six German-speaking clients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder from a community mental health service completed the RAS-G plus measures of recovery attitudes, self-stigma, psychotic symptoms, depression, and functioning. A confirmatory factor analysis of the original 24-item RAS version was conducted to examine its factor structure, followed by reliability and validity testing of the extracted factors.ResultsThe CFA yielded five factors capturing 14 items which showed a substantial overlap with the original subscales Personal Confidence and Hope, Goal and Success Orientation, Willingness to Ask for Help, Reliance on Others, and No Domination by Symptoms. The factors demonstrated mean to excellent reliability (0.59–0.89) and satisfactory criterial validity by positive correlations with measures of recovery attitudes and functioning, and negative correlations with measures of self-stigma, and psychotic and depressive symptoms.ConclusionsThe study results are discussed in the light of other studies examining the factor structure of the RAS. Overall, they support the use of the RAS-G as a means to promote recovery oriented services, policies, and research in German-speaking countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 3276-3286
Author(s):  
Anne Kennes ◽  
Sanne Peeters ◽  
Mayke Janssens ◽  
Jennifer Reijnders ◽  
Johan Lataster ◽  
...  

Abstract This study examined the structure, reliability, and convergent validity of the adolescent version of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (Dutch MHC-SF-A), a self-report questionnaire for positive mental health assessment. This questionnaire was completed by 459 Dutch adolescents (178 boys and 281 girls) between the ages of 11 and 18 years at baseline and at a 4-week follow-up. Results revealed the 3-factor structure in emotional, psychological, and social well-being, a high internal reliability and a moderate test–retest reliability. Findings suggest that mental illness and well-being represent two related but distinct continua of mental health. Fostering adolescents’ well-being is important. Promoting positive emotions, creating a supportive and loving parent–adolescent relationship, and a supportive school environment will contribute to this.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Norika Mitsunaga-Ohmuro ◽  
Noriyuki Ohmuro

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate whether personal recovery indices in individuals with psychotic disorders would change through hospitalisation in a psychiatric ward and to identify factors associated with these changes. Methods Participants underwent assessments for personal recovery using the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery, Recovery Assessment Scale, and Self-Identified Stage of Recovery Part A and B; clinical symptoms using the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale; self-efficacy using the General Self-Efficacy Scale; and self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale at baseline and before hospital discharge. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were administered for longitudinal comparisons between baseline and follow-up. Spearman’s rank correlation tests were conducted to assess correlations of longitudinal changes in personal recovery with baseline values of personal recovery as well as baseline values or changes in the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results Thirty-four individuals with psychotic disorders completed the assessments. The average duration of the current hospitalisation was 81.9 days (SD, 15.3; median, 85.0; range, 51–128 days). No significant changes were observed in personal recovery, self-efficacy, and self-esteem, although clinical symptoms significantly improved. Significant correlations were found between positive changes in the Recovery Assessment Scale and improvements in negative symptoms; between positive changes in the General Self-Efficacy Scale and those in personal recovery assessed with the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery, Recovery Assessment Scale, and Self-Identified Stage of Recovery part A; and between positive changes in the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and those in the Self-Identified Stage of Recovery part B. Conclusion This study revealed longitudinal relationships between changes in personal recovery and amelioration of negative symptoms or enhancement of self-efficacy and self-esteem through moderate length of hospitalisation in individuals with psychotic disorders. Considering the small sample size in this study, further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm the present finding. Trial registration The protocol of this study is registered in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; ID: UMIN000035131).


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-11
Author(s):  
Gökmen Arslan ◽  
Murat Yıldırım ◽  
Silvia Majercakova Albertova

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the preliminary development and validation of the Subjective Academic Wellbeing Measure (SAWM), which is a six-item self-report rating measure intended for use as a screening tool to assess the positive academic functioning of young people within the elementary and high school context. Exploratory factor analysis was performed with Sample 1 (N= 161), indicating that the SAWM was characterized by a unidimensional measurement model and had strong factor loadings. Results from confirmatory factor analysis, which was carried out with Sample 2 (N= 199), confirmed the measurement model by yielding good data-model fit statistics that were characterized by strong latent construct and internal reliability estimates. Further analyses showed that the scale had good convergent validity considering scores from several self-reported scales of student mental health problems and positive school functioning. Further analyses also showed that configural, metric, and scalar measurement invariance were observed across gender groups. These results provide initial evidence suggesting that the SAWM is a reliable and valid measure that can be used to assess the positive academic functioning of students within the school context. Implications are discussed, and some suggestions are provided for future research and practice


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Hitchcock ◽  
Renee Brown ◽  
Vanessa E. Cobham

This paper sought to provide the first validation of a transdiagnostic measure of repetitive negative thinking – the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire- Child version (PTQ-C) – in young people diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorders. Participants (N=114) were 11-17 year-olds with complex and comorbid presentations seeking treatment through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Confirmatory factor analyses best supported a three-factor model for the PTQ-C, however, hypotheses of both perfect and close fit were rejected. Results demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity and divergent validity for the three PTQ-S subscales; core characteristics, perceived unproductiveness and consumed mental capacity of negative repetitive thinking. PTQ-C scores did not account for additional variance in anxiety symptoms once worry was considered, indicating that retention of a content specific measure may be warranted in clinical samples. Findings suggest that PTQ-C subscales not total scores should be used with clinical samples, and emphasise the importance of validating clinically relevant measures which were developed with subclinical populations in samples with diagnosed mental health disorders.


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