Developing and evaluating a questionnaire to assess personal recovery experiences in older people with bipolar disorder

• Scores on the Bipolar Recovery Questionnaire for Older Adults with bipolar (BRQ-OA) are reliable over a 4-week period. • Scores on the BRQ-OA are significantly associated with factors commonly defined as part of personal recovery. • The BRQ-OA was suitable and acceptable for use with older adults who have bipolar. • The BRQ-OA is a reliable and valid measure of personal recovery. • The BRQ-OA is suitable for use within future research and as a tool within clinical practice. Despite evidence that the mental health experiences of older adults are qualitatively different to those of younger adults, little research has investigated the recovery preferences of people aged 60 years and over (Chen et al., 2027). This paper presents the first measure of personal recovery developed specifically for older adults with bipolar disorder (BD). Collaboration with older adults who had lived experience of BD, clinicians and academics supported the development of the Bipolar Recovery Questionnaire for Older Adults (BRQ-OA). A total of 55 participants aged 60+ (mean=66.98, SD=8.19) with a diagnosis of BD completed the BRQ-OA alongside symptom and quality of life measures. The BRQ-OA was completed again four weeks later. It was hypothesised that the BRQ-OA would be a reliable and valid measure of personal recovery. The BRQ-OA had good internal consistency, and scores were reliable over a 4-week period. Scores on the BRQ-OA were significantly associated with lower depression and mania scores and higher scores on quality of life and functioning measures. Small sample size restricted understanding of factors underlying the BRQ-OA. Participants were primarily White British with high levels of education, therefore generalisability to other groups is unclear. Findings indicate the BRQ-OA is a reliable and valid measure of personal recovery for older adults with BD. Scores are significantly associated with factors commonly defined as part of personal recovery. This is the first mental health measure designed with and for older adults to support the use of recovery-focused approaches in clinical practice and research.