Psychometric assessment of the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery

Personal recovery is important for mental health services and service users; moreover, valid and reliable assessment instruments are necessary for measuring personal recovery. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the unidimensional factor structure of the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample. The questionnaire was completed by 200 patients of outpatient services of two psychiatric hospitals in Switzerland. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the unidimensional factor structure of the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to assess the internal consistency. The results showed an overall acceptable model fit (χ²  = 134.188, df = 90, P = 0.002; RMSEA = 0.050, 90% CI: 0.031-0.067; CFI = 0.937; TLI = 0.927) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91). These results are consistent with those of studies that have examined the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery in other languages. This study provides preliminary evidence that the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery is a reliable assessment instrument for measuring personal recovery among people with mental illness experiences. However, it is necessary to conduct further psychometric tests to verify the validity and reliability of the instrument. The German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery can be applied to both research and clinical practice, especially as a means of facilitating communication during the planning and evaluation of treatment goals.

Psychometric evaluation of the German version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC)

Background

Healthcare professionals can be a source of stigma and discrimination for people with mental illness, and anti-stigma programs are needed for this target group. However, there is no validated German language scale to assess attitudes of healthcare professionals towards people with mental illness. This study had the aim to validate the German language version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), a self-report measure of stigmatizing attitudes.

Methods

Staff (n=392) on general psychiatric inpatient wards (excluding child, forensic and geriatric psychiatry) at five psychiatric hospitals in Switzerland (n=3) and Germany (n=2) participated in the study. The internal consistency of the OMS-HC was examined as well as its factor structure using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. To assess the scales concurrent validity, we used the Social Distance Scale.

Results

Internal consistency for the OMS-HC total score was good (=0.74), acceptable for the subscales Attitudes (=0.62) and Social Distance (=0.69), and poor for the Disclosure subscale (=0.55). The original three-factor structure fit our data well. The OMS-HC total score and the Social Distance subscale score were significantly correlated with the Social Distance Scale, supporting concurrent validity.

Conclusion

The German version of the OMS-HC demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties and can be recommended for future research and intervention evaluation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-021-00592-9.

[Roles and Work Content of Peer Workers and Experts by Experience in Mental Health Practice, Education, Research and Development - Results of a Survey in Switzerland]

AIM OF THE STUDY

To identify work contents, roles and tasks of peer workers in mental health services in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

METHODS

A survey was conducted among peers in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

RESULTS

Most respondents stated that they work mainly in specialized services in the treatment of people with psychoses and affective disorders and in direct contact with service users. "Building bridges" between service users and professionals, conveying hope and confidence, empowerment as well as support in symptom management was most frequently indicated as a work activity. The majority of respondents have job descriptions that correspond to their activities.

CONCLUSIONS

For mental health services, the challenge is to integrate the new professional group of peers workers as well as possible without undermining their proximity to the service users or their possibly critical perspective with regard to the existing practice.

Impact of a Mental Health Nursing Training-Programme on the Perceived Recovery-Orientation of Patients and Nurses on Acute Psychiatric Wards: Results of a Pilot Study

In mental health nursing, recovery-orientation is regarded as a best practice approach for patient care. To assess the effect of an intervention utilising a recovery-oriented approach in acute practice, a controlled pilot trial was conducted. On intervention wards, mental health nurses received special training. Recovery Self-Assessment Scale was used to assess the effects of the training. No statistically significant effects were found, between the experimental conditions. Reasons for this result may be methodological, practical or due an intervention that was not powerful enough. Recovery-oriented intervention studies in mental health nursing should be conducted with caution.

Recovery Self Assessment – Übersetzung und kulturelle Anpassung eines recovery-orientierten Einschätzungsinstrumentes

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Der Recovery-Ansatz gewinnt in der psychiatrischen Forschung und Praxis zunehmend an Bedeutung. Im englischen Sprachraum ist die praktische Etablierung und wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung fortgeschritten. Um die Implementierung des Ansatzes zu unterstützen, sind Einschätzungsinstrumente notwendig. Ein verbreitetes und anerkanntes Instrument ist die Recovery Self Assessment Scale (RSA). Diese besteht aus vier Versionen eines Fragebogens, welche die Perspektiven von Nutzenden, Fachpersonen, Angehörigen und dem Management erfassen. Ziel/Methode: In diesem Artikel werden die Entwicklung des Instrumentes und der Übersetzungsprozess dargestellt. Zwei voneinander unabhängige Arbeitsgruppen verwendeten unterschiedliche Übersetzungsverfahren: Die Arbeitsgruppe aus der Schweiz (AGS) orientierte sich an den ISOR-Prinzipien, die Arbeitsgruppe aus Norddeutschland (AGN) an den Richtlinien des European Social Survey Programme zur Übersetzung von Fragebögen – TRAPD. Die Methoden unterscheiden sich darin, dass die TRAPD Fokusgruppen vorsieht. Die Ergebnisse der Arbeitsgruppen wurden mittels eines Konsensusverfahrens zur RSA-D zusammengeführt. Ergebnisse: Bei der Übersetzung und kulturellen Anpassung der RSA-D wurde die Nähe zum theoretischen Bezugsrahmen der RSA gewahrt und die Übertragbarkeit in den deutschsprachigen Kontext berücksichtigt. Schlussfolgerung: Bevor die RSA-D in der Praxis und Forschung eingesetzt werden kann, sollte in weiterführenden Studien die psychometrische Testung erfolgen.

Efficacy of Coming Out Proud to reduce stigma's impact among people with mental illness: pilot randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Facing frequent stigma and discrimination, many people with mental illness have to choose between secrecy and disclosure in different settings. Coming Out Proud (COP), a 3-week peer-led group intervention, offers support in this domain in order to reduce stigma's negative impact.

AIMS

To examine COP's efficacy to reduce negative stigma-related outcomes and to promote adaptive coping styles (Current Controlled Trials number: ISRCTN43516734).

METHOD

In a pilot randomised controlled trial, 100 participants with mental illness were assigned to COP or a treatment-as-usual control condition. Outcomes included self-stigma, empowerment, stigma stress, secrecy and perceived benefits of disclosure.

RESULTS

Intention-to-treat analyses found no effect of COP on self-stigma or empowerment, but positive effects on stigma stress, disclosure-related distress, secrecy and perceived benefits of disclosure. Some effects diminished during the 3-week follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

Coming Out Proud has immediate positive effects on disclosure- and stigma stress-related variables and may thus alleviate stigma's negative impact.