title: Treatment motives as predictors of acquisition and transfer of relaxation methods to everyday life.
abstract: This article presents results from four studies of the significance of type and number of initial treatment motives for acquisition and transfer to everyday life of progressive relaxation (PR) and autogenic training (AT). On the basis of theories of treatment motivation and compliance, we hypothesize that motives for participation are determinants of learning and transfer. Results are reported from (1) two studies with 113 participants in introductory courses on AT and 94 participants in introductory courses on PR and (2) two replication studies with 94 (AT) and 101 participants (PR). Participants indicated their motives for participation. Short-term indicators of treatment success include number of dropouts and subjective evaluations of relaxation exercises; long-term outcomes include transfer of relaxation exercises to everyday life and evaluations of exercise evaluations at follow-up 3 to 6 months after the end of course. Results suggest that for both AT and PR, dropout and subjective relaxation exercise evaluations can be predicted from participation motives. Long-term outcomes can be predicted only for AT. However, for both PR and AT it is shown that for up to four motives, the number of initial course motives is correlated with short-term and long-term predictors of course outcome. We conclude that motivation for participation is highly relevant to client-course matching and adaptive indication of relaxation therapies. Results lead to a threshold hypothesis about the relationship between the number of participation motives and short-term as well as long-term learning and transfer outcome.
authors.affiliation: University of Trier.
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krampen
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Eye
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001326:Autogenic Training; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D014163:Transfer, Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome