Literature Review: Motivational Interviewing With the Older Adult
This article provides a review of extant literature on Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its effect on medical/biopsychosocial treatment regimen adherence and general health outcomes in the geriatric population (>65 years). This is the first comprehensive literature review study exploring the effects of MI on older adults representative of typical age group seen in geriatrics clinics (i.e., >65 years, with many patients well into their 70s and 80s).The goal of the review is to provide readers with a focused, up-to-date outcome research review and to discuss the feasibility of clinical applications of MI within an interdisciplinary geriatric clinical settings and its adaptation for use with older individuals dealing with both mental health and general medical conditions. To be included in this review, studies had to be randomized controlled design, examine the effects of Motivational Interviewing, and include participants with an average age of 65 years or more. Though limited in number, 7 out of 9 studies reviewed showed a significant improvement in health outcomes as a result of Motivational Interviewing treatment. The two studies that showed no significant improvements included telephone-based MI counseling rather than face-to-face MI treatment. MI shows promise as an effective treatment in affecting health behavioral change for older adults, but further studies are needed to identify key necessary therapeutic features of the MI with this population.