Psychometric assessment of the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery.

Personal recovery is important for mental health services and service users; moreover, valid and reliable assessment instruments are necessary for measuring personal recovery. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the unidimensional factor structure of the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample. The questionnaire was completed by 200 patients of outpatient services of two psychiatric hospitals in Switzerland. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the unidimensional factor structure of the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to assess the internal consistency. The results showed an overall acceptable model fit (χ2  = 134.188, df = 90, P = 0.002; RMSEA = 0.050, 90% CI: 0.031-0.067; CFI = 0.937; TLI = 0.927) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91). These results are consistent with those of studies that have examined the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery in other languages. This study provides preliminary evidence that the German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery is a reliable assessment instrument for measuring personal recovery among people with mental illness experiences. However, it is necessary to conduct further psychometric tests to verify the validity and reliability of the instrument. The German version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery can be applied to both research and clinical practice, especially as a means of facilitating communication during the planning and evaluation of treatment goals.

[Roles and Work Content of Peer Workers and Experts by Experience in Mental Health Practice, Education, Research and Development - Results of a Survey in Switzerland]. / Rollen und Arbeitsinhalte von Peers und Expertinnen und Experten durch Erfahrung in Praxis, Bildung, Entwicklung und Forschung in der Psychiatrie.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To identify work contents, roles and tasks of peer workers in mental health services in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. METHODS: A survey was conducted among peers in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. RESULTS: Most respondents stated that they work mainly in specialized services in the treatment of people with psychoses and affective disorders and in direct contact with service users. "Building bridges" between service users and professionals, conveying hope and confidence, empowerment as well as support in symptom management was most frequently indicated as a work activity. The majority of respondents have job descriptions that correspond to their activities. CONCLUSIONS: For mental health services, the challenge is to integrate the new professional group of peers workers as well as possible without undermining their proximity to the service users or their possibly critical perspective with regard to the existing practice.

Peer support in Switzerland - Results from the first national survey.

Peer work is now known in Switzerland for 10 years and has developed strongly. The aim of the study was to describe peer support specialists' (PSSs') work conditions and job satisfaction, as well as the challenges of integration into the workforce in Switzerland. A further aim was to identify possible development topics in the preparation of PSSs for working with peer support work (PSW) training and interventions within the working field. We launched a survey with a self-developed questionnaire for people with lived experiences with mental illness and recovery who were working as PSSs or experts by experience in education, research, politics, and other areas in the German-speaking region of Switzerland. The survey took place from 1 September 2017 to 15 November 2017. The results show that PSSs were working mostly in 1:1 contact with service users and in education and noticeably less in politics and research. Their work conditions and job satisfaction seemed good. Most PSSs had job descriptions matching their duties, were satisfied with their salaries, and indicated being satisfied or very satisfied with their work. Amongst other aspects, the greatest challenge reported was integration into the inter-disciplinary working team. PSS training should better consider the working areas of experts by experience in the fields of politics and research to reinforce employment opportunities in these work areas. To increase the impacts of PSSs and to improve integration into the workspace, the preparation of professionals and institutions should be improved by means of information sessions, trainings, and guidelines.