Abstract
This meta-analysis examined the efficacy of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in treating depression in 11 articles. PubMed, Web of Science, and Clinical Key were used to identify papers published from 2010 to 2020 that utilized PPIs. Key terms were “positive psychology” and “treatment of depression.” Studies on adults with (a) depressive symptoms or (b) diagnosed clinical depression were included. A random-effects model was used to compare PPIs and control groups on post- vs. pre-intervention differences in depression scores. Data analysis examined Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (QIDS-SR16) scores. Findings show PPIs are effective in treating depressive symptoms, with significant improvements in depression scores when compared to control groups in all but one study. This was true for both post- vs. pre-intervention (pooled Cohen’s d = −0.44 (−0.77, −0.11)) and follow-up- vs. pre-intervention analyses (pooled Cohen’s d = −0.46 (−1.02, 0.09)). PPIs can improve the accessibility and affordability of depression treatments.
Highlights
IntroductionThe World Health Organization estimates that a staggering 264+ million people suffer from depression, and with this comes the enormous social, economic, and systemic burdens that societies must face [1]
736 participants were in the positive psychology interventions (PPIs) group and 615 participants were in various control groups
While this study focused on treating depression and depressive symptoms, a future direction could be analyzing more severe mental disorders that could benefit from PPIs, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
Summary
The World Health Organization estimates that a staggering 264+ million people suffer from depression, and with this comes the enormous social, economic, and systemic burdens that societies must face [1]. While medication can be effective in lessening acute symptoms, more long-term solutions require extensive psychotherapy so individuals can learn healthy and sustainable coping mechanisms [2]. There is a range of psychotherapy techniques that are used to treat depression, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), and third-wave cognitive and behavior therapies such as dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) [3,4]. Positive psychotherapy (PPT) has gained increased attention as a possible treatment modality
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