Date Presented 04/04/19
The study implicated that when helping schizophrenic people obtain flow experience through daily activities, OTs should not only provide activities that correspond to their abilities and interests but also facilitate their self-determined behaviors and self-efficacy. This theory-based study may serve as a piece of evidence in practice to establish the foundations for further inquiring OT intervention outcomes and cross-cultural differences.
Primary Author and Speaker: LIN-JYE HUANG
Additional Authors and Speakers: Fu-Chang Hu, Chinyu Wu, Yi-Hong Yang, Shu-Chun Lee, Powen Lin, Shih-Jui Hu
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationships among flow experience, self-determined behaviors and self-efficacy in persons with schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND: According to the flow theory, flow is an optimal psychological state that occurs when people perform and involve entirely in an activity including daily activities (e.g. work or exercise), which helps to increase positive feelings for well-being. However, lacking motivation in persons with schizophrenia may interfere with getting flow experience from participating activities. The self-determination theory helps describe and categorize the types of motivation into intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation by distinguishing from different reasons and goals; intrinsic motivation related to basic psychological needs including autonomy, competence and relatedness; extrinsic motivation related to self-regulation behaviors which could be divided into four types by degree of internalization including external, introjected, identified and integrated regulations; the latter two self-regulation types of extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation initiate self-determined behaviors and significantly relate to flow experience and self-efficacy. Based on social cognitive theory, self-efficacy refers to one's belief in his/her ability to reach goals that determines whether an individual can show coping behaviors and sustain efforts when encountering difficulties. Exploring the affecting factors, such as self-determined behaviors and self-efficacy, may help develop intervention strategies for schizophrenic people gaining flow experience through daily activities.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional design
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 246 adults diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were enrolled from psychiatric outpatient clinics, day hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Taipei, Taiwan.
METHODS: Research instruments included the Traditional Chinese translated short version of Dispositional Flow Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale in General, and Behavior Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2, Self-Efficacy Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Positive and Negative Symptom Scale.
ANALYTICAL METHODS: The software LISREL 9.30 was used to perform confirmatory factor analysis for getting factor scores of the scales, and then SPSS 21 was used to conduct correlations and regression analysis among variables.
RESULTS: The results showed that the dispositional flow tendency positively significantly correlated with satisfaction with life, basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence and relatedness), behavior regulation (identified, integrated and intrinsic types) and self-efficacy, but negatively significantly correlated with behavior regulation (amotivation type), positive and negative symptoms. Regression analysis also showed that the dispositional flow tendency can be positively predicted by identified behavior regulation and self-efficacy (△F = 17.734, p < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: This study indicated that the flow experience of daily activities in persons with schizophrenia can be positively affected by self-efficacy and self-determined behaviors (especially the type of identified behavior regulation).
IMPACT STATEMENT: This study suggests that when encouraging people with schizophrenia obtain flow experience through daily activities, occupational therapists should not only provide activities correspond to the their abilities and interests but also facilitate their self-determined behaviors and self-efficacy.
RELATES TO RESEARCH PRIORITIES: The results of this study may serve as a piece of evidence to establish the foundations for further inquiring OT intervention outcomes and cross-cultural differences.
References
Stavrou, N. A. (2008). Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation: examining self-determination theory from flow therapy perspective. In F. M. Olsson, New developments in the psychology of motivation, New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268.
Sweet, S. N., Fortier, M. S., Strachan, S. M., & Blanchard, C. M. (2012). Testing and integrating self-determination theory and self-efficacy theory in a physical activity context. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne,53(4), 319.
