Treatment Motivation Questionnaire [TMQ / AQ-26]

Description

The Treatment Motivation Questionnaire (TMQ) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess individuals’ motivation to enter, participate in, and remain engaged in treatment or rehabilitation programs. It is used primarily in clinical contexts, including addiction treatment, psychological disorders, and other health-related settings.

The questionnaire helps identify factors that influence a person’s decision to begin treatment, remain involved, and commit to the therapeutic process.

Purpose

The main purpose of the TMQ is to assess internal and external motivation for treatment.

More specifically, it examines:

  • Internal motivation: the individual’s personal desire to change and participate in treatment.
  • External motivation: the extent to which participation is influenced by external pressure, demands, or rewards.
  • Defensive attitude: the degree to which the person resists treatment or perceives it as imposed by others.
  • Intention to change: the level of commitment to following treatment and achieving therapeutic goals.

Data Analysis and Use

Analysis of TMQ data may include:

  • factor analysis to examine the structure of the motivation-related subscales,
  • assessment of internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha,
  • examination of validity through comparisons or associations with other measures of motivation and treatment engagement.

The results may be used to better understand the extent to which an individual is prepared and willing to participate actively in treatment.

Standardization

According to the provided material, standardization of the TMQ may involve:

  • collecting data from different treatment populations,
  • examining score distributions,
  • developing normative values and percentile-based indicators for comparing motivation across populations and treatment contexts.

The source does not specify the exact response scale, total score range, or specific cut-off values.

Applications

The TMQ may be used in:

  • addiction treatment programs,
  • psychotherapy and psychiatric services,
  • rehabilitation programs,
  • assessment of treatment engagement,
  • research on behavioral change and adherence to treatment.

Its use may help identify factors that promote or hinder participation and retention in treatment.

References

Ryan, R. M., Plant, R. W., & O’Malley, S. (1995). Initial motivations for alcohol treatment: Relations with patient characteristics, treatment involvement, and dropout. Addictive Behaviors, 20(3), 279–297.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum Press.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.

Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change. New York: Guilford Press.