TITLE:
Evaluation of Decisional Balance in Change of Effective Stress Management Behavior among Chinese University Participants Using Item Response Theory
AUTHORS:
Ke Deng, Akira Tsuda, Satoshi Horiuchi, Terumi Matsuda
KEYWORDS:
Effective Stress Management Behavior; Decisional Balance; Stage of Change; Item Response Theory
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.1 No.6,
December
2,
2013
ABSTRACT: The transtheoretical model defines behavior change as progression
through five stages:
precontemplation (not ready), contemplation (getting ready), preparation (readiness), action, and maintenance. Decisional balance (i.e., the relative weight of the pros and cons of making a change) is assumed to mediate stage
progression. As one progresses through
the stages, the model predicts that the balance of pros increases
while that of cons decreases. Previous studies have confirmed this; these results may be attributed to differing response patterns to each item of the decisional balance
measure across the stages. This
study examines the
relationship between decisional
balance and the stages of change
related to effective stress
management behavior (i.e., any healthy activity to manage stress) using a
decisional balance measure based on item response theory. The participants were
447 male and 602 female college students.
A six-item scale of decisional
balance was developed. The balance of pros was significantly higher in later
stages such as action and maintenance stages relative to earlier stages such as
precontemplation and contemplation
stages, while the opposite held for the cons. These results provide strong
evidence that the correspondence between decisional balance and the stage of
change can be applied to stress management behavior.