Models of behaviour change: Contribution to psychological treatment
This paper discusses the contribution of models of behaviour change to the improvement of the clinical effectiveness of psychosocial interventions with adults. The transtheoretical model describes stages and mechanisms of behaviour change and is the most popular among models of behaviour change. This model has been mainly applied to the study of behaviour changes related to physical health. Two other models developed in the context of the study of behaviour changes in individuals with emotional problems, the model of assimilation and the model of causal mediation of change also describe trajectories of change. This paper highlights how these three models complement each other in their analysis of trajectories and mechanisms of change. Implications of these models for improving the involvement, perseverance and commitment of participants at different stages of change in a psychosocial intervention program, and for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention programs are discussed.