The definition of recovery in psychotic disorders is shifting from just the alleviation of symptoms to a more multidimensional approach where in addition to clinical recovery, personal, societal,...Show moreThe definition of recovery in psychotic disorders is shifting from just the alleviation of symptoms to a more multidimensional approach where in addition to clinical recovery, personal, societal, and functional recovery also play an important role. Even though much research has been done to investigate the different dimensions and possible confounders, mediators, and moderators, the concept is still very new and so more research is needed before treatment can be innovated. This paper investigated the question: is there an association between functional and personal recovery? Personal recovery is the subjective road to recovery, which includes concept like connectedness, hope and optimism, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment. Functional recovery revolves around the compensation for the loss of skills due to illness. In addition, we investigated the question: do substance abuse and substance dependency have an influence on the association between functional and personal recovery. People with a psychotic disorder have a higher chance of becoming substance abusers or substance dependent and thus this is an important factor to investigate that could influence recovery. We investigated these two questions by interviewing patients with a psychotic disorder. We used three validated questionnaires to measure the dependent, independent, and mediating variable, which are personal recovery, functional recovery, and substance abuse/dependency respectively. We found an association between functional and personal recovery (p < .001). A mediating effect of substance abuse and substance dependency on the association between functional and personal recovery was not found. Our results are in line with previous research that has also found associations between functional and personal recovery, adding to the evidence that the dimensions in the multidimensional approach are related concepts. A possible reason for the absence of a mediating effect of substance abuse and substance dependency on the association between functional and personal recovery could be that drug use alone might not influence recovery, but when including more possible mediators, for example homelessness, substance use might significantly influence recovery. Future research should investigate a possible causal relationship between functional and personal recovery, and the possible mediating effects of drug use in combination with other mediators.Show less
