The Contribution Of The Recovery Self Assessment To The Measurement Of Illness Management And Recovery

Abstract

Variables contributing to recovery from mental illness and substance abuse were investigated. These variables included empowerment, sense of community, illness management, self-esteem, self-determination, and the variables of agency, program, gender, age, general type of service, race, and length of service. The study was entirely from the person in recovery perspective, emphasizing self-determination. Participants came from agencies and were currently in recovery programs. The five measures were the Making Decisions – Empowerment Scale (MDE), the Illness Management and Recovery Client Self-rating (IMR), the Sense of Community Index-2 (SCI-2), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RES), and the Recovery Self Assessment-Revised (RSAR). Significant correlations existed between the IMR, the RES, and the RSA-R, but not between the RES and the RSA-R. None of the other variables proved significant in predicting any of the measures. The IMR Client Self-rating served as the dependent variable in a hierarchical multiple regression. Once again, the RES and the RSA-R were the only significant predictors of the IMR. Other hierarchical multiple regressions with the RES and the RSA-R as the dependent variable supported a new theory of recovery. Implications for assessment conclude the discussion of these results. In general, the RSA-R proved itself a valuable measure of recovery in the sample.