Validating the Narrative Recovery Style Scale (NRSS) in a sample of individuals with serious mental illness

Fraser, Gillian (2018) Validating the Narrative Recovery Style Scale (NRSS) in a sample of individuals with serious mental illness. D Clin Psy thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Background: A critique of the traditional two-factor model of recovery style suggests that it does not fully take into account the range of strategies people use in their recovery. A third style of ‘ruminative preoccupation’ is proposed in addition to the existing styles of ‘integration’ and ‘sealing over’. In addition, current tools used to measure recovery style lack construct validity and have limitations such as being outdated or using a simplistic format. The Narrative Recovery Style Scale (NRSS) is a novel method of evaluating recovery style, using interview transcripts to provide a three-dimensional measurement of an individual’s style.

Aim: The primary aim of this study was to validate and examine the psychometric properties of the NRSS in a mixed clinical sample of individuals with serious mental illness.

Method: 36 participants with either schizophrenia (n=13), bipolar disorder (n=9), or complex trauma (n=14) were recruited to the study from community mental health services in Glasgow. Participants were interviewed using the Narrative Interview for Compassion-Revised (NCS-R), a recorded semi-structured interview designed to measure participants’ experiences of compassion towards the self, from self to others and from others to self. This was transcribed and the NRSS was applied to the narrative in order to obtain recovery style ratings. We examined the relationship between the NRSS and the Recovery Style Questionnaire (RSQ), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and the Psychosis Attachment Measure (PAM).

Results: No associations were found between the NRSS subscales and the RSQ, the CISS, or the PAM. Regarding the internal structure of the scale, the integration subscale was found to be negatively correlated with the sealing over subscale. No relationship was found between the other subscales. Regarding the characteristics of the sample, a number of significant differences between the diagnostic groups were noted including age, IQ, occupation, attachment avoidance, coping, and RSQ recovery style.

Conclusions: Although the results do not support the validity of the NRSS as a three-dimensional measure of recovery style, there are various methodological factors which may have influenced the study results. We recommend the development of a specifically constructed interview designed to activate recovery style, upon which the NRSS can be more reliably applied. A re-examination of the NRSS scoring strategy may also increase the research utility and strengthen the reliability of the measure.

• Item Type: Thesis (D Clin Psy)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Sealing over, integration, RSQ, ISOS, schizophrenia.
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Supervisor's Name: Gumley, Professor Andrew
• Date of Award: 2018
• Depositing User: Ms Gillian Fraser
• Unique ID: glathesis:2018-30997
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 15 Nov 2018 16:30
• Last Modified: 08 Feb 2019 13:34
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/30997