Although both online and in-person positive psychology interventions (PPIs) exist, no randomized ... more Although both online and in-person positive psychology interventions (PPIs) exist, no randomized controlled trials (RCT)—the gold standard in intervention research—have compared the effectiveness of these formats. We created a 12-week skills-based PPI (ENHANCE), organized into three target area: the core self (e.g., values, strengths), the experiential self (e.g., mindfulness, self-compassion), and the social self (e.g., gratitude, social life). In two 6-month randomized controlled trials (RCT) with a total community sample of 154 healthy adults, we administered the ENHANCE program online (N = 100) and in-person (N = 54). The in-person version of the program involved 2-hour weekly group sessions run by clinical practitioners. The online version followed a parallel structure with identical content; each participant created an account on a custom-designed integrated web platform, where they were able to view the session content, complete exercises, and save their responses to those exercises. We did not find differences between the online and the traditional program in the key predicted increases in positive affect and life satisfaction. This finding provides critical evidence for the potential of online PPIs to bring about similar changes in well-being as traditional, in-person interventions—but at a much larger scale. This research thus lays the foundations for administering empirically validated interventions to populations who may not be able to afford access to in-person interventions— from busy professionals to underprivileged populations.
Although both online and in-person positive psychology interventions (PPIs) exist, no randomized ... more Although both online and in-person positive psychology interventions (PPIs) exist, no randomized controlled trials (RCT)—the gold standard in intervention research—have compared the effectiveness of these formats. We created a 12-week skills-based PPI (ENHANCE), organized into three target area: the core self (e.g., values, strengths), the experiential self (e.g., mindfulness, self-compassion), and the social self (e.g., gratitude, social life). In two 6-month randomized controlled trials (RCT) with a total community sample of 154 healthy adults, we administered the ENHANCE program online (N = 100) and in-person (N = 54). The in-person version of the program involved 2-hour weekly group sessions run by clinical practitioners. The online version followed a parallel structure with identical content; each participant created an account on a custom-designed integrated web platform, where they were able to view the session content, complete exercises, and save their responses to those exercises. We did not find differences between the online and the traditional program in the key predicted increases in positive affect and life satisfaction. This finding provides critical evidence for the potential of online PPIs to bring about similar changes in well-being as traditional, in-person interventions—but at a much larger scale. This research thus lays the foundations for administering empirically validated interventions to populations who may not be able to afford access to in-person interventions— from busy professionals to underprivileged populations.
Uploads
Drafts by D. Leitner