Treatment Motivation Questionnaire – TMQ
Measures internal and external motivation for entering and remaining in treatment, as well as help-seeking attitudes and confidence in treatment.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Treatment Motivation Questionnaire – TMQ was developed by Richard M. Ryan, Robert W. Plant, and Stephanie O’Malley (1995). It is designed to measure Treatment Motivation. The scale is intended for use with Clinical populations entering treatment.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 26 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Internal Motivation, External Motivation, Help Seeking, Confidence in Treatment.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Motivation | 1,2,4,5,7,8,9,11,15,20,23 | 11 |
| External Motivation | 3,6,10,12 | 4 |
| Help Seeking | 17,18,19,22,25,26 | 6 |
| Confidence in Treatment | 13,14,16,21,24 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = not at all true, 2 = , 3 = , 4 = somewhat true, 5 = , 6 = , 7 = very true.
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.