Table 1. Refinements to improve feasibility and acceptability following pilot evaluation.

INCRESE v1 Item	Issue identified	Refinement made in INCRESE v2
FEASIBILITY
3. Is this a recovery narrative?	Coders applying differently - description contains two distinct constructs	Split into 2 items: ‘Does the narrative contain elements of adversity or struggle?’; ‘Does the narrative contain elements of success, strengths and/or survival?’
15-20. Disability categories	Rarely used - two items may be sufficient, e.g., ‘narrator identifies/does not identify disabilities’	Candidates for deletion – reviewed in Stage 3
31-32. Relationship with Recovery andStage of recovery	Found to be very similar, with ‘stage’ being more easily identifiable by coders within the narratives	Candidates for deletion – reviewed in Stage 3
40-46. Turning points	Coders applying differently	Instructions added. Items 41 & 46 renamed for greater clarity
59 & 60. Voluntary/involuntary use of mental health services	Insufficient items to characterize variety of mental health services used	Replaced with six items: ‘Relationship with mental health professional; ‘Formal peer support; ‘Informal peer support; ‘Psychological services; Involuntary uses of mental health services; ‘Hospitalization’
ACCEPTABILITY
12. Ethnicity and 14. Sexuality	Available responses are insufficient to capture differences, and lead to ‘othering’ of narrators	Replaced with multiple response options
21-27. Diagnostic categories	Current items do not represent one coherent diagnostic model	DSM taxonomy chosen. ‘Obsessive-compulsive related’ item added. ‘Rejects diagnosis’ item added for narratives rejecting diagnosis.
Narrative content categories	Content frequently present but not captured by INCRESE	8 additional narrative content items added: Comparison with previous life experiences; spiritual/religious activities; experiences of stigma; creative activities; caring responsibilities; family experiences of mental health issues; diet/nutrition; and volunteering.