Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-Based Stress Management

The Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-Based Stress Management Program targets adults who have not been practicing effective stress management for 6 months or longer. TTM is a theory of behavior change that can be applied to single, multiple, and complex behavioral targets.

• Program Goals:
• -Studies of change have found that people move through a series of stages when modifying behavior. While the time a person can stay in each stage is variable, the tasks required to move to the next stage are not. Certain principles and processes of change work best at each stage to reduce resistance, facilitate progress, and prevent relapse. Those principles include decisional balance, self-efficacy, and processes of change.
• -Only a minority (usually less than 20%) of a population at risk is prepared to take action at any given time. Guidance based on the TTM results in increased participation in the change process because it appeals to the whole population rather than the minority ready to take action.

• Target Audience:
• -Adults who have not been practicing effective stress management for 6 months or longer

• Program Description:
• TTM’s premise is that behavior change is a process and that as a person attempts to change a behavior, he or she moves through five stages:
• -Precontemplation (not intending to begin in the next 6 months)
• -Contemplation (intending to begin in the next 6 months)
• -Preparation (intending to begin in the next 30 days)
• -Action (practicing the behavior for less than 6 months)
• -Maintenance (practicing the behavior for at least 6 months).

• Program Delivery:
• -The program uses a computerized expert system to provide individualized feedback reports on stress management behaviors at the beginning of the intervention and 3 and 6 months afterward. Participants receive feedback about themselves compared with their peers that includes stage of change, processes of change, self-efficacy, decisional balance responses, and their use of stress management behaviors.

• Costs to Implement Program:
• -Because the intervention uses a self-directed computer program, no training is needed for implementation. A user manual provides answers to frequently asked questions, instructions on how to extract data, and technical support. Please contact Prochange for more information.