The impact of goal aspects and intrinsic motivation on the severity of depression - a longitudinal study in a clinical sample

Abstract

This research was designed to learn more about the impact of intrinsic motivation, control over goals and feasibility of goals on the severity of depression after a period of treatment. Research has shown that depressed people give lower ratings of their perceived control over goal outcomes. Also, depression is associated with reduced motivation to pursue goals and reduced planning to achieve goals. This makes it important to pay attention to the study of motivation. The group of participants consisted of clients of the polyclinic of Altrecht. A total of 40 participants took part in the study. At the first measurement point, all participants completed the Measure to Elicit Positive Future Goals and Plans (MEPGAP), the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (Zelfinvullijst Depressieve Symptomen, IDS-SR-NL) and the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ). At the second measurement point, the participants completed the IDS-SR-NL again. Except for the relationship between control over goals and feasibility of goals, no significant relationships were found. Current research dealt with some limitations, namely the short period of time between the first and second measurement point, the influence of treatment on the severity of depression and the small sample size at the second measurement point. The lack of significant relationships between the variables can be due to the limitations of current research. Further research is needed to examine the relationship between the variables of current research in a larger sample with greater distance between the measurement points.