The questionnaire about the process of recovery (QPR): A measurement tool developed in collaboration with service users

Abstract

Aims: To develop and validate a short recovery questionnaire in collaboration with service users.

Method: 126 people with experience of psychosis were recruited via the National Health Service (NHS) Trust and self‐help organisations nationwide. Items were generated from in‐depth interviews into recovery and developed into a 25‐item self‐report questionnaire. Data were factor analysed, and a final 22‐item measure (the QPR) was tested for reliability and validity. To assess validity the QPR was administered together with measures of: psychological distress (the General Health Questionnaire – GHQ); empowerment (the Making Decisions and Empowerment Scale – MDES), and quality of life (the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale – SQLS). The QPR was administered again at two weeks to assess reliability.

Results: The QPR is comprised of two subscales (intrapersonal and interpersonal). Internal consistency and reliability of the scale was satisfactory. There was a high level of association with MDES, GHQ and SQLS scores, and between QPR scores at time one and time two.

Conclusions: The QPR possesses internal consistency, construct validity and reliability, and promises to be a useful tool for assisting clients to set goals, evaluation of these goals and promoting recovery from psychosis in routine service evaluation and research trials.

Keywords:

• reliability
• research measures
• treatment outcome research
• validity

Acknowledgements

This study was conducted in collaboration with service users and the Bolton Salford and Trafford research Steering Committee. This research was supported by a grant from the Division of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool and was undertaken as part of a DClin Psychol Programme by STN. Ethical approval was granted by Bolton Salford and Trafford Ethics Committee. Thanks to Ros Bramwell for her statistical support and to Rory Allot for his comments.