Background: For diabetics, healthy eating or dietary management is essential. Motivational interviewing (MI) is found to be effective for facilitating Thai clients with diabetics to change their dietary behavior. At present, little is known about what therapeutic processes and mechanisms improvements occur within MI.

Objective: To explain the mechanism within MI in relation to dietary behavior outcome.

Materials and Methods: The present study was a qualitative study that explored mechanism of change within the MI program conducted in diabetic clients and use the self-determination theory (SDT) as a lens to explore the mechanism of change within MI. A qualitative approach was adopted in the present study.

Results: The mechanisms that influenced the change in dietary control of the diabetic clients were the patient perception of competence, a sense of autonomy, and therapist-patient relationship. These three kinds of perceptions are found to be related to therapist’s skills and techniques used in the MI program.

Conclusion: The present study result reveals the most promising mechanisms of MI is the patient perception of competence, sense of autonomy, and therapist-patient relationship. There is a need to ensure that a relational ingredient of MI focused on empathy and the interpersonal spirit of MI will be employed by MI counselor consistently. MI self-supervision tool might be a good option to assist MI counselors adhere to MI spirit.

Keywords: Motivational interviewing program; Diabetes clients; Diet behavior

DOI: 10.35755/jmedassocthai.2022.07.13346

Received 7 March 2022 | Revised 2 May 2022 | Accepted 10 May 2022