ReviewCurrent opinion in psychology2019
Mechanisms of behavior change in motivational interviewing: do we understand how MI works?
Review in Current opinion in psychology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Motivational interviewing for substance use reduction.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Outcomes of a Brief Motivational Intervention for Heavy Alcohol Use in Racial or Ethnic Minority Compared to White Emerging Adults.Journal of evidence-based social work (2019) · 2024Trial
- What can clients tell us about whether to use motivational interviewing? An analysis of early-session ambivalent language.Journal of substance abuse treatment · 2022Trial
- Differential mechanisms of change in motivational interviewing versus health education for smoking cessation induction.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2021Trial
- Examining the Effects of a Brief, Group-Based Motivational Implementation Strategy on Mechanisms of Teacher Behavior Change.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2021Trial
- Piloting a brief intervention plus mobile boosters for drug use among emerging adults receiving emergency department care.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Trial
- Motivational Interviewing Produces Change Talk in Smokers with Serious Mental Illness.Journal of dual diagnosisTrial
- Natural language processing of patient in-session speech to predict brief motivational interviewing alcohol intervention response: an exploratory study.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2026Article
- Exploring motivational interviewing's technical hypothesis with emerging adults from racial or ethnic minority groups with heavy alcohol use.Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse · 2026Article
- The neural pathways of change: an fMRI study of the effects of behavioral change suggestions on value-based dietary decision-making.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Observational
- Creating a Therapeutic Alliance with Caregivers: An Introduction to Motivational Interviewing.Behavior analysis in practice · 2026Article
- Adaptation of the Motivational Interviewing Skills Code to Identify Client Language Predicting Reduced Opioid Use Risk and Increased Use of Alternative Pain Care Strategies in Veterans.Methods and protocols · 2025Article
- Effective components of integrated motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy for lifestyle behaviour change: a modified Delphi study.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Article
- Mobile Health-Based Motivational Interviewing to Promote SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Rural Adults: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Motivational interviewing for improving functional and psychosocial outcomes among stroke survivors.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Article
- Grouping motivational interviewing is only effective for younger patients with alcohol dependence in the rehabilitation stage.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025Article
- Tailored biosecurity training for veterinarians and farmers: bridging knowledge and practice gaps.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Article
- Learning & motivational talk in smoking cessation interventions: An examination of session language in two randomized trials.Patient education and counseling · 2025Article
- Do improvements in motivational language predict alcohol use in motivational interviewing? Ambivalence matters.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
This work provides an overview of Motivational Interviewing (MI) theory, the nature of the evidence for its mechanisms of action, and considers future directions. There are three hypotheses purported to explain how MI works: The Technical Hypothesis, the Relational Hypothesis, and the Conflict Resolution Hypothesis. In contrast to the latter two hypotheses, the Technical Hypothesis has received the most empirical attention in the MI process literature. Research shows that clinician technical skills in MI are well-defined, they relate to the intended client mechanisms (i.e. change talk and sustain talk), but the evidence supporting client mechanisms as predictors of subsequent changes to behavior is less conclusive. Future research and clinical implications are briefly considered.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.