Short-term effects of goal-setting focusing on the life goal concept on subjective well-being and treatment engagement in subacute inpatients: a quasi-randomized controlled trial.
Tatsuya Ogawa, Kyohei Omon, Tomohisa Yuda and 4 others
PMID 27496700WHAT IT FOUND
Adding life goals to structured goal-setting did not improve general emotional well-being or function more than structured goals alone.
Therapists rated engagement higher than both control groups, and anxiety was lower than no structured goal-setting.
Key findings
01The group receiving Goal Attainment Scaling plus life goal assessment had higher therapist-rated treatment engagement than both control groups at posttest.
02The group receiving Goal Attainment Scaling plus life goal assessment had lower anxiety than the group receiving usual care without structured goal-setting, but not lower than the group receiving Goal Attainment Scaling alone.
03Goal Attainment Scores, goal importance and goal difficulty did not differ between the group receiving Goal Attainment Scaling plus life goal assessment and the group receiving Goal Attainment Scaling alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Patients were assigned by alternate order of hospitalization, and allocation could not be concealed. Therapists knew each patient's group, and outcome assessments were done by an attending therapist who was not blinded. The study was small, and 59 of 66 patients were retained to posttest. Over 75% of admitted patients were excluded, so results may not apply to many inpatients. Patients with severe cognitive dysfunction were excluded, so the trial does not show effects in patients with severe cognitive dysfunction. All therapists were trained in both Goal Attainment Scaling and life goal principles, which may have crossed between groups. Treatment engagement was measured by therapist rating on a single item, not by the patient's own motivation. The four-week period included natural recovery, which may explain some improvements. The study was not registered and no formal power calculation was done.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and received no financial support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that life goal concept improves mood or daily independence more than structured goal-setting. The clear between-group gains were therapist-rated engagement and anxiety compared with no structured goal-setting, while depression did not show a clear change in any group, and general emotional well-being, independence and goal attainment did not differ between groups.