Keywords
IMR scale
Mental health recovery
Psychometrics
Measurement invariance Análisis de redes
Escala IMR
Recuperación en salud mental
Psicometría
Invariancia de medida
How to Cite
Abstract
Background: Recovery is a multidimensional, subjective process that emphasizes personal strategies and
empowerment beyond symptom remission. The Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) scale incorporates the
perspectives of both users and professionals, although its internal structure has had only limited examination through
advanced psychometric methods. Network analysis was applied to the IMR scale with the aims of (1) exploring
interrelationships among items, (2) assessing network stability, and (3) analyzing measurement invariance between
users and professionals. Method: Data were collected from 172 users and 49 mental health professionals using the
IMR scale. Network analysis used the Triangulated Maximally Filtered Graph (TMFG) method and the walktrap
algorithm, with stability assessed through bootstrapping. Results: The analysis indicated 39 significant connections
among 15 items, highlighting coping strategies as the central node, along with symptom distress, functional difficulties,
and symptom recovery. Exploratory Graph Analysis identified three factors: (1) Personal Growth and Planning, (2)
Social and Health Behavior Management, and (3) Symptom Management and Resilience. Conclusions: Network
analysis underscores the importance of coping strategies, suggesting that interventions should focus on strengthening
these skills to support recovery
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