How to assess recovery in a forensic population: The psychometric qualities of the Recovery Assessment Scale 24 (RAS-24)

Objective: Recovery-oriented care has become more widespread . To be able to measure recovery it's essential to have an instrument with sound psychometric properties. Research on this in forensic psychiatric care is lacking. In general mental healthcare the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) shows good psychometric qualities and suitability to measure personal recovery. This study assesses the psychometric qualities of the RAS-24 in a forensic psychiatric centre (FPC). Research Design and Methods: Respondents were fifty patients of the FPC who completed several questionnaires, including the RAS-24 at two moments in time. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed. Construct validity was examined by investigating the relationship of the RAS-24 with measures for recovery, quality of life, empowerment, hope and meaning of life. The correlation between personal recovery and treatment progress was also examined by comparing the group of respondents with leave and without leave on the total RAS-score. Results: The RAS-24 shows good internal consistency, good test-retest reliability and good construct validity. Statistically significant differences in RAS-scores were found between the group of respondents with authorization for leave and without leave. Conclusion: This study suggests that the RAS-24 is suitable for measuring personal recovery within a FPC. Limitations are the small sample size in a single institution with a high non-response rate. However, with the good psychometric properties of the RAS it’s possible to examine whether treatment in the FPC contributes to personal recovery and to assess whether this contributes to the decrease of the recidivism risk