Looking beyond the importance of life goals. The personal goal model of subjective well-being in neuropsychological rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
To identify subjective importance, attainability and success of life goals and their predictive value for subjective well-being in patients with acquired brain injury.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, descriptive.


METHODS
Two inpatient neurological rehabilitation centres.


METHODS
Patients with non-progressive neurological disorders.


METHODS
Survey using questionnaires.


METHODS
Life goal characteristics were assessed using a life goal questionnaire (GOALS). Subjective well-being (composite score) was measured using the Center of the Epidemic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).


RESULTS
Fifty-nine patients participated in the study. The most important life goals are intimacy (4.59/5), achievement (3.96/5) and altruism (3.89/5). The intimacy goals are considered most attainable (4.19/5) and patients feel most successful in this domain (3.98/5). Two important predictions of the personal goal model of subjective well-being could be confirmed. First, goal attainability moderates the relation between goal importance and goal success. Second, the influence of goal importance on subjective well-being is mediated by experienced success. The most powerful predictors for subjective well-being are success in the achievement domain (beta = 0.404) and discrepancy between importance and success in the intimacy domain (beta = -0.276).


CONCLUSIONS
The subjective well-being of neurological patients depends not only on the appraised importance of life goals but also on their attainability and success.
Conrad
Nico
N
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. conradn@staff.uni-marburg.de
Doering
Bettina K
BK
Rief
Winfried
W
Exner
Cornelia
C
D000124:Achievement; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires