Reliability and validity of the Japanese treatment self-regulation questionnaire for Japanese workers

Abstract

Background Motivational interventions are used as preventive measures in occupational health. However, existing studies primarily focus on motivation methods and not the stage of motivation—the process from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation. The treatment self-regulation questionnaire (TSRQ) can predict workers’ health at each motivational stage. Accordingly, this study examined the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the TSRQ (Diet and Exercise) in occupational health settings. Methods Responses of 912 workers were analyzed. In this study, the Cronbach’s alphas were 0.85 for Diet and 0.84 for Exercise after excluding items with low Item-Total correlations. Regarding convergent validity, there was a weak correlation between behavior modification stages and the TSRQ. Regarding structural validity, confirmatory factor analysis was performed assuming a four-factor structure. Results The goodness-of-fit indices were: Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.94, Tucker Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.92, and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.07 for Diet and CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, and RMSEA = 0.08 for Exercise. Conclusion The Japanese version of the TSRQ has a certain degree of reliability and validity. It can measure motivation for Diet and health-related behaviors in occupational health settings. The findings of this study may serve as a basis for promoting primary and secondary prevention.

Mixed-methods research of motivational processes in workers’ adoption of healthy behavior

“…Permission to use this scale for academic purposes is listed on the Self-Determination Theory website, which maintains the TSRQ scale. Additionally, Ishii et al [ 29 ] developed a Japanese version that targets workers; Cronbach’s alphas were 0.85 for diet and 0.84 for exercise, and its reliability and validity have been confirmed. The TSRQ scale comprises 15 items each for diet and exercise and has a four-factor structure (autonomous motivation, introjected regulation, external regulation, and amotivation).…”

“…The reason was that although the overall Cronbach’s alpha in the current study was good, the Cronbach’s alpha for nonmotivation was 0.34 for diet and 0.65 for exercise, which were not reliable. In Japan, where the study was conducted, it was noted that some of the items related to nonmotivation are considered to be external or incorporation adjustments and are perceived differently than in the West [ 29 ]. Therefore, in the present study, Cronbach’s alpha was 0.90 for diet and 0.88 for exercise, and reliable autonomous motivation was set as the dependent variable.…”

“…Finally, using theoretical sampling, 16 participants were selected. The groupings were also made with reference to the average autonomous motivation score (maximum score: 7 points) in the survey [ 29 ] of approximately 900 Japanese workers (5.6 points). The high-autonomous and low-autonomous motivation groups included participants with scores of ≥5.6 and ≤ 5.5 points, respectively.…”