Quality of life and better than Well: a mixed method study of long term (post 5 years) recovery and recovery capital

Purpose: To compare quality of life scores in a long term recovery population group (post 5 years) with a general population group and to explore how any differences might be explained by recovering individuals themselves in a small number of follow up qualitative interviews. Design: A sequential explanatory mixed method design combining quantitative Quality of Life measure (WHOQOL-Bref,WHO 1996) and six subsequent semistructured individual interviews. The Quality of Life measure compared long term recovery scores (post 5 years) with the general population group. The subsequent qualitative semi-structured interviews explored what the participants themselves said about their recovery. Findings: The quantitative data provides evidence of a significant difference in Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF) in two domains. The long term recovery group (5 or more years into recovery) scored higher in both the environment and psychological domains than the general population group. Of the long term recovery group 17 people who still accessed mutual aid scored higher in all four domains than those 23 people who did not. The interviews provide evidence of the this difference as result of growth in psychological elements of recovery such as developing perspective, improvement in self-esteem, spirituality, as well as contributing as part of wider social involvement. Research implications: This study provides support for the Quality of Life measure as useful in recovery research. The empirical data supports the concept of recovery involving improvements in many areas of life and potentially beyond the norm, termed 'better than well' (Best & Lublam 2012, Valentine, 2011). (Hibbert & Best, 2011). Originality/value: One of small number of studies using with participants who have experienced long term (post five years) recovery, also using Quality of Life measure (WHOQOL-Bref, WHO 1996) with this population. keywords: Recovery capital, Quality of Life, Public Health, Better than Well