Mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) improves physical activity and weight loss among stroke survivors over one year.

Abstract

Teaching the MCII self-regulation strategy enhanced long-term physical activity in stroke patients relative to health information on its own. MCII thus qualifies as an effective intervention technique to improve secondary stroke prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record

Promoting the Self-Regulation of Stress in Health Care Providers: An Internet-Based Intervention

“…In order to ensure high fidelity, our instructions in the three conditions were adapted from past MCII intervention research (e.g., summary by Oettingen and Gollwitzer, 2010 ; Oettingen, 2012 , 2014 ). These intervention studies pertained to a variety of samples reaching from children at risk for ADHD to healthy adults and to patients recovering from stroke ( Marquardt et al, 2017 ). In addition, our participants received three practice sheets that depicted the steps of the intervention in the respective condition ( Figures 2 , 3 ).…”

“…Third, we did not provide information on effective stress-reduction strategies as discovered in stress research (e.g., effective emotion regulation strategies at work or relaxation techniques at home). Such a combination of providing relevant information first before participants engage in the MCII exercise has been used effectively in changing people’s eating behavior and making people more physically active (e.g., Stadler et al, 2009 , 2010 ; Marquardt et al, 2017 ). Future research may extend the focus of MCII interventions regarding the work place to relaxation after work, and by adding an information session on how to best reduce stress at work and at home prior to asking participants to engage in the MCII exercise.…”

“…Participants who employed MCII to eat more healthily engaged in more physical exercise over a period of 4 months ( Stadler et al, 2009 ), consumed more fruits and vegetables over a period of 2 years ( Stadler et al, 2010 ), and ate less red meat over 5 weeks ( Loy et al, 2016 ). MCII helped increase physical exercise and weight reduction in patients who had a stroke over a period of 1 year ( Marquardt et al, 2017 ), and increased physical capacity in patients with chronic back pain over 3 months ( Christiansen et al, 2010 ). An intervention study by Sailer et al (2015) observed that MCII even helped patients with schizophrenia in autonomy-focused clinical hospital settings to translate their exercising intentions into action.…”

The power of prospection: mental contrasting and behavior change

“…In the domains of school and work, it fostered time management in low-income working mothers who attended a vocational program (Oettingen, H. B. Kappes, Guttenberg, & Gollwitzer, 2015), the quality of homework in school children at risk and not at risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Gawrilow, Morgenroth, Schultz, Oettingen, & Gollwitzer, 2013), the effort to study for a standardized test (Duckworth, Grant, Loew, Oettingen, & Gollwitzer, 2011), and attendance and grade point average in fifth graders from low-income homes (Duckworth, Kirby, Gollwitzer, & Oettingen, 2013). In the health domain, it promoted regular exercise and healthy eating in middle-aged women (Stadler, Oettingen, & Gollwitzer, 2009;Stadler, Oettingen, & Gollwitzer, 2010), physical activity and weight loss in stroke patients (Marquardt, Oettingen, Gollwitzer, Sheeran, & Liepert, 2016), and physical capacity in chronic back pain patients (Christiansen, Oettingen, Dahme, & Klinger, 2010). In the interpersonal domain, it helped to overcome insecurity-related behavior (Houssais, Oettingen, & Mayer, 2013), romantic couples' communication about a sensitive topic (Cachia, A. Gollwitzer, Thorson, & Oettingen, 2015), and forgiveness after interpersonal trespasses (Schrage et al, 2016).…”

Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions Reduces Drinking When Drinking Is Hazardous: An Online Self-Regulation Intervention

“…Past studies have demonstrated that MCII has promoted healthy behaviors such as regular exercise continued for over 4 months and following a healthy diet for up to 2 years (Stadler, Oettingen, & Gollwitzer, 2009, 2010). It has also promoted vigorous exercise and weight loss in stroke patients for over 1 year (Marquardt, Oettingen, Gollwitzer, Sheeran, & Liepert, 2017). Notably, MCII was particularly effective when behavior change was challenging rather than easy (Gollwitzer, 2014; Oettingen, 2012; Oettingen, Kappes, Guttenberg, & Gollwitzer, 2015).…”