%0 Journal Article
%T ˇ°that Which Is Measured Improvesˇ±: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Self-monitoring in Self-management and Adaptive Behavior Change - ˇ°that Which Is Measured Improvesˇ±: A Theoretical and Empirical Review of Self-monitoring in Self-management and Adaptive Behavior Change - Open Access Pub
%A Eliot Fearey
%A Jessica A. Chen
%A Ronald E. Smith
%J OAP | Home | Journal of Behavior Therapy And Mental Health | Open Access Pub
%D 2018
%X Current psychological treatment approaches that rely on time-intensive, face-to-face psychotherapy are not capable of meeting the demand for mental health services. Mental health interventions that promote self-regulation and self-management of symptoms will play an increasingly important role in the well-being of millions of individuals. Self-monitoring is a core assessment and intervention component of many mental health interventions and an obligatory first step in the self-regulation process. The present paper reviews prominent theories of self-regulation and describes classic studies spanning clinical, social, cognitive, and personality psychology, which identify potential mechanisms underlying self-monitoring. At the empirical level, we describe the use of self-monitoring across a range of behavioral interventions directed at mental health and physical outcomes, identify factors that influence the effects of self-monitoring, and suggest ways in which technology can be incorporated into these interventions to improve the reach of psychological interventions. DOI10.14302/issn.2474-9273.jbtm-16-1180 The vast majority of individuals with mental health needs who would benefit from efficacious psychological treatments do not receive them.1 The failure of current one-on-one treatment modalities to meet existing mental health needs requires economically feasible, short-term and, in some cases, self-administered or web-based prescriptive treatments that exist outside specialized health care settings.2 Health care is becoming increasingly patient-centered, moving away from provider-centric models of care to ones in which patients take increasing responsibility for lifestyle modifications, behavioral change, and self-regulation.3, 4 This may be particularly true for psychological health.5 The focus of this theoretical and empirical review is the potential utility of self-monitoring for behavior change within the context of mental health interventions. An apocryphal quote often attributed to the mathematician and statistician Karl Pearson, ˇ°That which is measured improves,ˇ± captures the seemingly self-evident and logical conclusion that systematic self-monitoring (the process of measurement) facilitates behavior change. The evidence for this conclusion will be discussed, first, in light of theoretical models of self-regulation, and then in the context of empirical findings, including recent literature on self-management techniques for mental health utilizing technology. The review to follow will begin with a brief historical narrative of self-regulation
%U https://www.openaccesspub.org/jbtm/article/386