Measurement Structure of an Abbreviated and Modified Version of the Adaptation to Disability Scale-Revised for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness

Abstract

Background: Disability acceptance is central to the recovery process for people with severe mental illness (SMI). Measuring a client's level of disability acceptance is an important step to develop psychosocial interventions for individuals with SMI in psychiatric rehabilitation. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement structure of an abbreviated and modified version of the Adaptation to Disability Scale-Revised (ADS-R), the ADS-R-23, for individuals with SMI. Method: One hundred ninety-four participants were recruited from four community-based mental health agencies. The measurement structure of the ADS-R-23 was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Findings: Principal components analysis of the ADS-R-23 yielded two factors (succumbing and positive coping). The ADS-R-23 was found to be associated with four acceptance-related variables (i.e., resilience, social functioning, social support, and self-stigma) in the expected directions. The ADS-R-23 was found to be a multidimensional scale with good reliability. Conclusions: The abbreviated and modified version of the ADS-R, the ADS-R-23, is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing disability acceptance for people with SMI in psychiatric rehabilitation.