Facilitating Intrinsic Motivation in Individuals with Psychiatric Illness: A Study on the Effectiveness of an Occupational Therapy Intervention

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of an occupational therapy intervention to facilitate intrinsic motivation in individuals with psychiatric illness who had motivational deficits. The clinical problem, motivational deficits, was referred to the passive or coercive behaviors resulting from cumulative psychosocial frustrations. The intervention was based on a motivational frame of reference developed by the researcher, involving strategies of autonomy support and moderate structure. The research design was a mixed-effects nested design, involving one experimental group and one control group, and two different groups of therapists to carry out the two types of treatment. The treatment was carried out in one-hour, twice-a-week individual therapy sessions for 12 weeks. The results showed that the motivational intervention effectively facilitated intrinsic motivation, and that there was a corresponding change in social behavior observed by independent therapists. It was concluded that the motivational frame of reference has potential to be used in occupational therapy practice, and further research is needed to investigate its long-term effects.

Intrinsic Motivation Inventory: An Adapted Measure for Schizophrenia Research

“…As such, investigations are emerging that isolate the role of IM in clinical treatments and their relationship to cognitive remediation 24,26,27 and occupational therapy outcomes. 28 Given the promising attention to IM, there is a need to provide a reliable instrument to assess IM in empirical trials in schizophrenia. To date, there exists no instrument in schizophrenia to assess this construct for treatment-related tasks and the implications for specific treatment outcome.…”

Occupational Performance, Self-Esteem, and Quality of Life in Substance Addictions Recovery

“…A more recent study (Heuchemer & Josephsson, 2006) explored occupational transitions of women recovering from addictions and homelessness. Other studies and reports have been published that focus on occupational therapy with populations having the co-occurring problems of mental illness and homelessness (Finlayson, Baker, Rodman, & Herzberg, 2002;Harvey, Fossey, Jackson, & Shimitras, 2006;Wu, 2001). These problems are typically interwoven with substance addictions and were also found among the population of the current study.…”

Structural Determinants of Boredom Among the Clients of Psychosocial and Vocational Rehabilitation Centers

“…So, the presence of intrinsically rewarding activity generates meaningfulness and counters feelings of alienation (Seeman, 1959). Occupational therapists stress the importance of intrinsic rewards and meaningful activities for motivating clients (Arnsten, 1990; Thibodeaux & Ludwig, 1988; Trombly, 1995; Wu, 2001). To Arnsten, facilitating each client's discovery of his or her own desire to engage in purposeful activities should be a primary goal of occupational therapy.…”

“…The problem is that the creation of intrinsically rewarding tasks is demanding and time‐consuming. It requires a continuous exchange between client and staff (Thibodeaux & Ludwig, 1988; Trombly, 1995; Wu, 2001).…”

“…Empirical studies exploring organizational characteristics facilitating the realization of these goals are rare (Bracke, Bruynooghe, & Verhaeghe, 2006). Most of the research on meaningfulness or purposefulness in the realm of rehabilitation emphasizes the social cognitive processes that link specific task characteristics to the creation of meaning and purpose (Arnsten, 1990; Trombly, 1995; Wu, 2001). The influence of organizational contexts is often ignored.…”