[Mental Health Recovery Star: features and validation study of the Italian version]

Mental Health Recovery Star (MHRS) is an instrument that helps to assess recovery processes of mental health patients through a collaborative approach. The aim of the study is to describe the features of the instrument and to report the results of the Italian validation study.

The study involved 117 users which were evaluated in two phases. Besides MRHS, HoNOS, WHOQoL-brief, GAF were used. Acceptability for users and key-workers of the instruments and its main psychometric properties, as test-retes (ICC) and concurrent validity (Pearson's correlation coefficient), were evaluated.

MHRS showed to have temporal stability in all its areas. Significant correlations were found between the MHRS and the most closely related areas of the scales used. Inter-rater reliability were studied in an unsatisfactory way. MHRS was appreciated and easy to use. Collaborative evaluations were completed mostly in less than 45 minutes.

MHRS is an acceptable tool for users and staff-members, distinguishing itself from the use of useful visual aids; helps to identify the patient's recovery path and supports a collaborative approach between user and operator. The results of the psychometric properties of the instrument appeared promising but not exhaustive. Although further efforts should be addressed to the implementation of such aspects of the instrument and reflections should be raised with respect to the traditional methods to detect the complex meaning of recovery (subjective-objective aspects), the valuable collaborative contribution of MHRS can not be denied in favoring the user's responsibility and supporting the professional worker in his role of case manager.