Infusing Positive Psychology with Spirituality in a Strength-Based Group Career Counseling to Evaluate College Students’ State Anxiety

Abstract

The present study examined the effect of group career counseling (GCC) by infusing positive psychology and spirituality on undergraduate students’ state anxiety. A total of 187 Taiwanese college students took the strength-based group career coursing courses and assigned to experimental groups, responded to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. After the subjects had participated in the model of career education course, the experimental groups score on state anxiety decreased. A Pearson Product-moment correlation matrix described the relationships between the state anxiety score and the 4 sub scores of the Problem Solving Scale and Spirituality total score. The multiple regression analysis of the state anxiety scale used gender, age and 4 sub scores of the Problem Solving and Spirituality scale as predictor variables. The predictor variables (“trait anxiety”, “purpose and meaning in life”, “problem-solving confidence” and “personal control” subscales of the “PSI”) were able to account for 48% of the variance of State Anxiety. Implications for future research and recommendations for incorporating positive psychology with spirituality into GCC are discussed.