A physiotherapist's perception of their own behavior compared to the perception of their behavior by persons with TBI within the context of telerehabilitation: A self-determination theory perspective.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: According to Self-Determination Theory, the fulfillment of basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness plays an important role in one's motivation, engagement, and well-being. How a therapist is perceived to support or thwart these needs can impact adherence to treatment, thus influencing the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. OBJECTIVES: This alternating single-subject design explores how the physiotherapist self-reports interpersonal behaviors, how the person living with a disability (PwD) perceives the physiotherapist's supportive/thwarting interpersonal behaviors, and how the two align in the context of telerehabilitation. METHODS: Five PwD and their physiotherapist completed two telerehabilitation exercise programs. The PwD completed the Interpersonal Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) to examine how they perceived the physiotherapist interpersonal behaviors. The physiotherapist completed the Interpersonal Behavior Questionnaire-Self (IBQ-Self) to document how they self-reported these same behaviors. Descriptive statistics were used to document self-reports and perceptions of behaviors. RESULTS: Each PwD perceived the physiotherapist as being more supportive than thwarting. The supportive/thwarting behaviors varied across relationships. Greater alignment of the perceptions of therapist and the PwD was observed at the end of the programme when compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: Assessing how therapist support/thwart psychological needs and how these behaviors are perceived by PwD is recommended as it may influence the therapist's behavior and the PwD's adherence to future telerehabilitation exercise programs.