Assessing Community Functioning and Independent Living Skills of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness

Abstract

Background: Community integration and participation are important predictors of successful rehabilitation and recovery in individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). However, individuals with SMI still experience considerable psychosocial barriers to meaningful participation in social, community, civic, and daily living activities. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and validate a revised version of the Independent Living Skills Survey-Self-Report (ILSS-SR), the R-ILSS-SR, for use by rehabilitation researchers and practitioners in psychiatric rehabilitation settings. Method: One hundred ninety-four individuals with SMI were recruited from four mental health agencies in two states in the Midwestern and Southern United States. Factorial validity of the R-ILSS-SR was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Findings: Principal components analysis of the R-ILSS-SR yielded a four-factor measurement structure (self-care, home maintenance, and health maintenance; meaningful activity/work; transportation; and job maintenance). R-ILSS-SR subscales also correlated with known predictors of community participation in the expected directions. Conclusions: This study validated the R-ILSS-SR as a measure of community participation in a sample of adults with SMI. The ILSS-SR is the only measure of community participation specifically developed and validated for adults with SMI. Given that community participation is an integral aspect of recovery for adults with SMI, the R-ILSS-SR can be used to assess participation in psychiatric rehabilitation research and practice.