Measurement of mental health recovery knowledge and attitudes of professionals and students: development of the R-KAS tool.

BACKGROUND

The Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) has been used widely across various settings to measure mental health professionals' and students' knowledge and attitudes about recovery. However, evidence suggests that this measure lacks sound psychometric properties and may not fully capture the multidimensional nature of recovery. This study aimed to adapt and establish the psychometric properties of a modified version of the RKI, resulting in both a long and a short version.

METHODS

An exploratory sequential mixed-method design was employed in this study. In the first phase, qualitative interviews were conducted using a semi-structured guide to explore participants' understanding of mental health recovery. Their responses informed the development of a new survey tool used in the second phase. In total, 173 respondents were recruited via Qualtrics to complete an online survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted, including exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, Spearman correlation, and the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

The 52 self-reported items were administered to 115 professionals and 58 students to assess the psychometric properties of this adapted measure. Exploratory Factor Analysis resulted in the removal of 14 items with low factor loadings, retaining 38 items in the long version of the newly adapted measure, the Recovery Knowledge and Attitude Scale (R-KAS). Also, a short 21-item version was developed. Both versions consist of three subscales namely Competence, Roles, and Responsibilities, and Process. Both the long and the short versions had good to excellent factor loadings (range .60 to.81) and high reliability (Cronbach's alpha 38 items; α = 0.95, 21 items, α = 0.93). Known-groups validity was supported, as professionals who had received mental health recovery training scored significantly higher than those who had not.

CONCLUSIONS

Adapted from the original RKI and refined with input from consumers, the newly developed R-KAS tool appears to be psychometrically sound for assessing recovery knowledge and attitudes among professionals and students. Initial findings indicate that the R-KAS is a reliable and valid measure that may better reflect recovery-oriented practices in contemporary mental health settings.