Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing for Improving Self-Efficacy in Stroke Patients: An Occupational Therapy Randomized Control Trial Study

Since self-efficacy or belief in one's personal capabilities is an important predictor of rehabilitation outcomes, this study aimed to investigate the effect of motivational interviewing (MI) on the self-efficacy of stroke patients. Stroke patients (n = 34) participated in a single-blinded randomized control trial study. Both the intervention (n = 17) and control (n = 17) groups received the usual occupational therapy treatment with the intervention group also receiving a weekly session of MI for four weeks. Using a pretest and posttest design, the posttest was measured eight weeks after the last session of MI. General self-efficacy score, quality of life scores, and upper limb recovery scores did not significantly improve with time in either group. However, functional independence scores, and lower limb recovery scores (p = 0.001, and p = 0.003, respectively) were significantly improved in the intervention group compared to the control group. While MI did not effectively enhance self-­efficacy in stroke patients, occupational therapists could potentially enhance rehabilitation outcomes by incorporating MI in patient recovery.