This systematic review of current meta-analyses synthesizes research on self-regulation, a key mechanism in health behavior change treatments. The idea of feedback is central to theories of self-regulation. Individuals seek and evaluate information regarding the results of their actions in terms of how well those actions have brought them closer to their goal states.
When people talk about "self-regulation," they refer to how they steer or manage their own cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes to realize their objectives. Self-regulation theory proposes that people's activities are directed by an intrinsically motivated system that includes goal-setting, strategy-planning, action, evaluation, and adjustment. Goals of enhancing health, such as via modifications in exercise or dietary habits, and objectives of avoiding sickness and its repercussions, such as by seeking medical attention for uncommon complaints or sticking to medical procedures, are increasingly being explained using self-regulation models.
Self-discipline and determination are two more key ideas. To maintain positive health habits like exercising, quitting smoking, and taking prescribed medications, people sometimes must sacrifice something they like doing. Self-regulation theories suggest that keeping tabs on one's actions and goals regularly is key to developing and keeping up the discipline required to keep at them. Self-monitoring strategies, such as keeping a journal or diary, may help people focus on desired behaviors and progress. One strategy that has been shown to increase weight loss success is keeping a food diary.
Regulatory Systems that affect Health- We consider whether self-regulatory habits may be improved to promote physical and mental health in an illness set. The two behavioral interventions through self-regulation methods for people with chronic conditions. According to studies on survivability, many patients with severe conditions adopt an effective stance and undertake self-regulation measures in addition to standard medical care.
Walk, and yoga is two examples of typical movement-based self-regulation methods; this study compares their effectiveness on symptom alleviation and mood in people with irritable bowel syndrome. Patients in the walking group were more likely to maintain the targeted behaviors and get prolonged symptom relief than those in the yoga group, despite both groups seeing short-term improvements in symptoms and psychological well-being. Because long-term commitment to the walking regimen was higher than adherence to yoga, it is crucial to devise simply implementable self-regulation-enhancing treatments for patients with chronic illnesses.
This theory proposes that an individual's health-related activities are better understood when seen in the context of those aims. Individuals may have many interconnected objectives, such as the broad "keep healthy" objective, the more particular "consume five servings of fruits and vegetables daily," and the even more precise "purchase a salad at noon." There is a clear hierarchy here, with aspirations for one's ideal self at the pinnacle. These objectives are related to goals about the kind of actions one has to "do," which are related to even more detailed objectives about the sequences of motor activity that comprise the action itself. A goal's approach-ness, or the degree to which it actively seeks to bring about the desired condition, might be another useful categorization tool.
The thinking, feeling, and doing that arise in reaction to health risks are the main concerns of the commonsense model. Individuals' intuitions and perspectives about health and sickness are highlighted as important factors in decision-making. This model suggests that exposure to health-related danger signals concurrently activates issue self-regulation efforts to handle the health-related threat, and emotion-focused self-regulation attempts to deal with the associated emotional discomfort.
Different people have different "generalized expectations" or propensities to anticipate either good or negative outcomes in the face of ambiguity. A personality trait known as dispositional optimism is characterized by a persistent hope for the best possible results and a firm belief in one's ability to achieve their objectives. People with high levels of dispositional optimism are more likely to have favorable emotional experiences and be persistent in pursuing their goals. There are positive health consequences associated with certain behaviors. Patients with high (as opposed to low) dispositional optimism recovered more quickly after coronary artery bypass graft surgery and were less likely to need readmission in the weeks following surgery. Although self-regulation encompasses many other concepts, these three best capture its essence.
The capacity to handle and adapt to emotional ups and downs via strategies including acceptance, experiential avoidance, expressive suppression, mindfulness, problem-solving, and reappraisal;
The ability to switch focus, discount time, plan, and control impulses.
Having to do with the self, such as self-affirmation and self-efficacy.
Both intentional actions to improve health and prevent sickness may be better understood through the lenses of self-regulation models. According to the model proposed by Carver and Scheier, objectives may be broken down into a hierarchy, with the top level including the most general and the bottom encompassing the most particular. Emotions are a vital source of information regarding one's dedication to a task, and expectations profoundly impact whether or not that person chooses to persist in their efforts or give up. Beneficial health outcomes have been linked to dispositional optimism, or the inclination to hold optimistic predictions. According to Leventhal's rational model, when people perceive a risk to their health, they engage in both issue and emotion-focused self-regulation. Beliefs regarding the health threat's identification, source, chronology, repercussions, and controllability or cure inform behavior at the problem-focused level. By applying self-regulation models to treating behavioral health problems, we are learning more about the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and the feedback loops that shape health-related actions and results.