Development of a structured interview schedule to assess stage of psychological recovery from enduring mental illness

Abstract Objective. To develop a brief interview-based assessment tool, feasible for routine use in mental health service settings to measure an individual's stage of psychological recovery from an enduring mental illness. Method. Key indicators for each stage of psychological recovery were formulated according to the stages of psychological conceptual framework and an analysis of transcribed data wherein 17 consumer participants described their illness and recovery experiences. Upon development of the measure, Short Interview to assess Stages of Recovery (SIST-R), the instrument was evaluated by practitioners and consumers to examine its feasibility for use in mental health service settings. A pilot test with 18 mental health consumer participants compared results obtained by the SIST-R with those from an existing self-report stages of psychological recovery measure (STORI), a measure of psychological distress (K-10), and a measure of recovery (RAS). Results. Concordance between the SIST-R and the STORI was substantial (Somers' D = 0.61, P = 0.004). The mean scores from other recovery measures correspond with what could be theoretically expected across individual stages of recovery. Conclusion. This study contributes towards the strengthening of a recovery-oriented approach within clinical/mental health service settings with the development of an assessment tool that demonstrates potential clinical utility. There is a need to validate further the preliminary findings of this study.