Background and objectives

Engaging in goal-directed activities is a core difficulty of people with negative symptoms in schizophrenia. A previously developed goal pursuit model of negative symptoms (Schlier et al. 2017) postulates that negative symptom severity correlates with a tendency to set more avoidance- than approach-oriented goals. This shift in goal orientation correlates with low levels of goal expectancy, goal importance, and goal commitment. We explored whether these alterations translate into reduced goal-directed behavior (i.e., reduced goal striving and goal attainment).

Methods

We conducted a one-week diary-study in a population sample (N=91). Participants were assessed for subclinical negative symptoms at baseline. Next, they set a daily goal and completed an online survey measuring goal orientation, goal characteristics, goal pursuit, and goal attainment once per day for one week.

Results

Multilevel regression analyses and structural equation models showed that negative symptoms correlated with a tendency to set less approach-oriented goals with reduced goal expectancy and goal commitment. Goal orientation, expectancy, and commitment mediated the association between negative symptoms and reduced goal pursuit and attainment.

Limitations

We used a community sample, thus our results need to be replicated in a clinical sample of people with motivational negative symptoms.

Conclusions

Our results support the hypothesis that dysfunctional goal pursuit processes explain why negative symptoms lead to reduced goal-directed behavior. Interventions focusing on goal setting and goal expectations could be promising in improving goal-directed behavior in people with negative symptoms.

中文翻译：

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目标设定可以解释阴性症状中的低目标导向行为 - 日记研究的结果

背景和目标

从事以目标为导向的活动是精神分裂症阴性症状患者的核心困难。先前开发的阴性症状目标追求模型（Schlier et al. 2017）假设阴性症状的严重程度与设定更多回避而非接近导向目标的趋势相关。这种目标导向的转变与低水平的目标期望、目标重要性和目标承诺相关。我们探讨了这些改变是否会转化为目标导向行为的减少（即目标追求和目标实现的减少）。

方法

我们在人群样本（ N = 91）中进行了为期一周的日记研究。在基线时评估参与者的亚临床阴性症状。接下来，他们设定了一个每日目标，并完成了一项在线调查，测量目标取向、目标特征、目标追求和目标达成度，每天一次，持续一周。

结果

多层次回归分析和结构方程模型表明，负面症状与设定较少接近目标的倾向相关，目标期望和目标承诺降低。目标导向、期望和承诺介导了负面症状与目标追求和实现减少之间的关联。

限制

我们使用了社区样本，因此我们的结果需要在具有动机阴性症状的人的临床样本中复制。

结论

我们的结果支持这样的假设，即功能失调的目标追求过程解释了为什么负面症状会导致目标导向行为减少。以目标设定和目标期望为重点的干预措施可能有助于改善有阴性症状的人的目标导向行为。