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Pilot Study Provides Qualitative Evidence For Intrinsic Motivation In Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Marian W. Roman, Lora Humphrey Beebe, Renee Burk

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) face multiple health barriers that are improved with exercise, but they seldom exercise due to a variety of barriers, of which amotivation is primary. In the current study, we investigated the subjective experiences of persons with SSDs following a formal exercise program. Twenty seven persons with SSDs who had taken part in a 16-week walking program provided feedback during exit interviews. Our purpose was to ascertain whether comments provided evidence of development of intrinsic motivation as defined by Ryan and Deci’s self determination of behavior theory. Our directed content analysis resulted in 5 thematic …