Achieving Optimal Volition and Well-Being- Facilitating Movement

University of St Thomas, Minnesota St Catherine University Doctor of Social Work Banded Dissertation School of Social Work 5-1-2018 Achieving Optimal Volition and Well-Being: Facilitating Movement Along the Motivational Continuum Through Self-Determination Theory Andrew Thompson University of St Thomas, Minnesota Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.stthomas.edu/ssw_docdiss Part of the Clinical and Medical Social Work Commons, and the Social Work Commons Recommended Citation Thompson, Andrew, "Achieving Optimal Volition and Well-Being: Facilitating Movement Along the Motivational Continuum Through Self-Determination Theory" (2018) Doctor of Social Work Banded Dissertation 34 https://ir.stthomas.edu/ssw_docdiss/34 This Banded Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Social Work at UST Research Online It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Social Work Banded Dissertation by an authorized administrator of UST Research Online For more information, please contact libroadmin@stthomas.edu Running head: ACHIEVING OPTIMAL VOLITION AND WELL-BEING Achieving Optimal Volition and Well-Being: Facilitating Movement Along the Motivational Continuum Through Self-Determination Theory by Andrew Thompson A Banded Dissertation in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Social Work St Catherine University | University of St Thomas School of Social Work May 2018 ACHIEVING OPTIMAL VOLITION AND WELL-BEING ii Abstract The dissertation comprises three products that considered self-determination theory (SDT) as theoretical framework to support interventions that promote satisfaction of basic psychological needs among recipients of assertive community treatment (ACT) and forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) The first product is a paper that conceptualized and integrated elements of self-determination (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in the implementation of assertive community treatment and forensic assertive community treatment The integration of implementation of these basic psychological needs provided a framework to increase autonomy and self-determination, which has proven effective at increasing enhanced client wellness and optimal outcomes The second product is a cross-sectional exploratory study of ACT and FACT participants (n =100), between 21 and 67 years of age (M = 42.23, SD = 12.74), who had between five and 16 years of education (M = 12.05, SD = 1.87), and were on the ACT team for an average of approximately four and a half years (M = 4.05, SD = 3.33) The study examined relationships between basic psychological needs construed from the lens of self-determination theory and overall client satisfaction with services Findings showed that, satisfaction positively and significantly correlated with relatedness, r = 45, 95% CI [.28, 59], p < 001, and autonomy, r = 33, 95% CI [.14, 49], p = 001, both of which were medium in effect size (Cohen, 1992) A statistically significant positive correlation was also found between satisfaction and competence, r = 24, 95% CI [.05, 42], p = 015, which was small-to-medium in effect size The correlations between competence, autonomy, and relatedness were positive and statistically significant (p < 05 Further, findings from a multiple regression showed that relatedness is a significant predictor of satisfaction (R2 = 22, F (3, 96) = 8.80, p