Measuring outcomes within inpatient child and adolescent mental health services: an evaluation of the Recovery Questionnaire for Young People

Background: The notion of personal recovery has become central to the delivery of mental health services; however, no published subjective recovery measure has been validated in an inpatient adolescent mental health sample. We aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Recovery Questionnaire for Young People (ReQuest- YP) in this inpatient context.
Methods: Both cross-sectional and longitudinal self-report data were collected. The ReQuest-YP was administered to 65 adolescents (11 males, 52 females and 2 who identified as transgender) within inpatient child and adolescent mental health services (UK) along with a feedback questionnaire, to assess the face validity of the measure. The young person’s Health of the National Outcome Scales (HoNOSCA) score, as rated by clinicians in inpatient services, was also obtained to assess the convergent validity of the measure.
Results: The results demonstrated that the ReQuest-YP demonstrated excellent
internal consistency (alpha ≥ .914), test-retest reliability (ICC = .91) and sensitivity to change (Z= -2.09). The measure did not correlate with the ratings on the HoNOSCA. Feedback indicated the ReQuest-YP was relevant and acceptable to young people. Suggestions were made about refining some questionnaire items.
Conclusions: The ReQuest-YP demonstrated clinical utility as a measure of
subjective recovery in inpatient child and adolescent mental health services.
Refinement of some of the questions along with further evaluation of the measure in this population is recommended.