Feasibility, validity and reliability of the Dutch translation of INCRESE (INCRESE-NL) inventory to characterize mental health recovery narratives

Objective: Methods for characterizing mental health recovery narratives are needed to enable the selection of helpful narratives which can support the recovery processes of other people. The Inventory of Characteristics of Recovery Stories (INCRESE) is an existing English-language tool to characterize recovery narratives, which is not available in Dutch. The aims of this study were to create a Dutch translation of INCRESE and to evaluate the feasibility of sustained and routine use, as well as its validity and reliability. Research design and methods: INCRESE was translated into Dutch (INCRESE-NL) using an established translation methodology. Six coders with different professional backgrounds rated 30 purposively selected Dutch narratives using INCRESE-NL and then completed an evaluation survey. Feasibility was assessed qualitatively and content validity both qualitatively and quantitatively. Gwet’s AC1 agreement coefficient was used to calculate intercoder reliability.   Results: Coders evaluated INCRESE-NL as a suitable instrument to capture important characteristics of recovery narratives with an acceptable administrative burden. The content validity index was sufficient for 5/7 sections of INCRESE-NL. Most items were found to be clear and suitable for capturing the corresponding characteristic, although some missed strict coding rules or clear descriptions, especially in section 4 on narrative characteristics. Gwet’s AC1 could be calculated for 67/77 items, of which 62 scored sufficient and five scored below threshold. Gwet’s AC1 coefficients corresponded well with the original INCRESE Fleiss Kappa values.   Conclusions: INCRESE-NL has sufficient feasibility, validity and reliability and can be used to characterize Dutch recovery narratives.