Positive Psychology Training Research Articles

A Comparative Study of Meditation Play and Art Therapy Programs Applying MMPT-Focusing on Child Anxiety, Mindfulness, and Self-Regulation

This study applied MPPT (Meditation Mindfulness Positive Psychology Training) to compare meditation play and art therapy programs and measure their effects on child anxiety, mindfulness, and self-regulation improvement. The subjects were 4th and 6th graders located in K city, Gyeonggi-do, and there were a total of 18 students, consisting of 6 in meditation play, 6 in art therapy, and 6 in control groups. The research period was from mid-April 2022 to mid-July 2022, and the two groups participating in meditation play and art therapy programs were treated once a week for 40 minutes, for a total of 10 sessions, and the control group was not treated. Mindfulness (K-CAMM) by Greco, Baer and Smith (2011), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) by Spielberger (1973), and Self-Regulation Abilities by Heo Jeong-kyung (2004) were used as measurement tools. For data analysis, SPSS 22.0 was used. For the results of the study, As a result, compared to the control group, the art therapy given to experimental group 2 decreased anxiety, increased mindfulness, and increased self-regulation compared to the meditation play given to experimental group 1. This paper has significance as it is the first in Korea to compare children's meditation play and art therapy programs to compare and verify their effectiveness on anxiety, mindfulness, and self-regulation.

Effectiveness of Positive Psychology Training and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Improving Psychological Distress and Motivational Beliefs in Students with a Parental Death Experience: A Quasi-experimental Study

Background: The loss of a parent significantly affects the academic performance, social interactions, and overall well-being of students. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of positive psychology training and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in reducing psychological distress and improving motivational beliefs among students who have experienced the loss of a parent. Methods: This quasi-experimental study adopted a pretest-posttest follow-up design and included two experimental groups and one control group. The research focused on female secondary school students in Ahvaz, Iran, who were grieving the death of a parent. Sixty participants who met the inclusion criteria were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (n = 20 each). Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS 23. Results: The findings indicated that both positive psychology training and ACT significantly impacted the participants' psychological distress and motivational beliefs. There were significant differences between the effects of positive psychology training and ACT, with positive psychology training showing a more substantial influence on reducing psychological distress and enhancing motivational beliefs than ACT. Conclusions: This study concludes that both positive psychology training and ACT are effective in boosting motivational beliefs and mitigating psychological distress among students grieving the loss of a parent.

Determining the Effectiveness of Positive Psychology on Resilience and Depression Among Master's Students at Payame Noor University of Karaj

Objective: The aim of this research was to determine the effectiveness of positive psychology on resilience and depression among master's students at Payame Noor University of Karaj. Methods and Materials: This study employed an experimental methodology with a quasi-experimental design, specifically a pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population comprised all master's students at Payame Noor University of Karaj. The sample size was considered to be 30 individuals. Data collection methods included both library and field approaches. The data collection instruments used in this study were two standardized questionnaires: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory (1978), along with a protocol for group-based positive psychological training and guidance. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 21 (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were used in the pretest and posttest stages. To assess the normality of the variables, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was employed, and to examine homogeneity of variances, Levene's test was used. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was applied to compare the mean scores of the experimental and control groups and to account for the effect of pretest scores and other confounding variables on the posttest. Findings: The results indicated that positive psychology training had a significant impact on the resilience of the master's students at Payame Noor University of Karaj. Conclusion: In sum, positive psychology training improved the resilience and depression levels of the students, with a more pronounced effect on resilience compared to depression.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Positive Psychology Training on Reappraisal and Suppression in Students with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Comparing the Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Positive Psychology Training on Reappraisal and Suppression in Students with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Effectiveness of Positive Psychology on Self-Control and Resilience in Nursing Assistants

Objective: Nursing assistants, due to their sensitive and serious work, have an urgent need to enhance their capabilities. Accordingly, this research aimed to compare the effectiveness of positive psychology training on self-control and resilience among nursing assistants. Materials and Methods: The present study is a quasi-experimental research conducted in three phases: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population consisted of nursing assistants in the city of Isfahan during the years 2021-2022, from which 45 nursing assistants were purposively selected and divided into three groups (each group containing 15 individuals). The Tangney et al. (2004) Self-Control Scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (2003) were used to measure the dependent variable at three stages. Two training groups, each underwent 8 sessions of 75 minutes of training, and the control group did not receive any treatment. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test through SPSS software version 26. Findings: The results showed that there is a significant difference in self-control and resilience between the positive psychology training and the control group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Considering the effectiveness of positive psychology training in enhancing self-control and resilience, it is recommended that this approach be employed in hospitals for nursing assistants.

The imperative of happiness in positive psychology: Towards a psychopolitics of wellbeing

Positive Psychology has reconstructed how we understand happiness. The practices and discourses it presents to perform that reconceptualization appear as if free from political interest or intentionality. However, this article will show that its proposals define a subtle new form of government which we will call Psychopolitics. Instead of placing the population or the body of the citizen at the centre of political struggles, it focuses on the psyche. Through an extreme defence of positive emotions and happiness as the key to a good life, Positive Psychology promotes a type of friendly power relations, which instead of punishing motivates and empowers the individual's creativity. To illustrate all of this, we conducted a case study with a Positive Psychology training course taught in a Spanish state university. Content analysis was used to explain the recurring themes and practices of this new discipline of positivity, showing how health is redefined around the happiness axis, and how happiness becomes an individual responsibility. We conclude that all these dimensions are simply a categorical definition of a new type of power relations which may characterise the 21st century.

The influence of positive psychology on the competence and compressive ability of “double qualified” university teachers

BackgroundWith the spread of COVID-19, in application-oriented undergraduate colleges, the difficulty of teaching work for “double-qualified” teachers has greatly increased, resulting in enormous work pressure for some teachers, which is not conducive to the development of teaching work and the physical and mental health of teachers.Subjects and MethodsTwenty “double qualified” teachers from a domestic finance and economics college were selected and divided into an experience group and a control group. The evaluation index system of college teachers’ competency and anti-pressure ability is constructed by using hesitant fuzzy language. Teachers in the experience group were trained in positive psychology, and their competency and anti-pressure ability were evaluated before and after the experiment using the evaluation model. The evaluation grade is divided into poor, general, relatively good, good and excellent, and is assigned with integers 1-5 respectively. The measurement type data is displayed in the form of mean ± standard deviation, and the t difference significance test is conducted. The difference significance level is 0.05.ResultsAfter completing the experiment, the statistics are shown in Table 1. Observation Table 1 shows that before the experiment, the P value of the t-test for the competency and compression resistance scores of the two groups of teachers is far greater than 0.05, with no significant difference. However, after the completion of the experiment, the average scores of teachers’ competency and compressive capacity in the experience group were 4.52 and 4.63, respectively, higher than those in the control group, and the P value of the t-test was 0.001, which was considered significant.Table 1.Comparison of competence and compressive ability scores of two groups of “double qualified” financial teachersCompetencyCompressive capacity-Experience groupControl grouptPExperience groupControl grouptPBefore experiment3.15±0.143.15±0.170.4851.5263.88±0.203.86±0.240.5711.639After experiment4.52±0.273.16±0.192.8620.0024.63±0.313.85±0.223.3760.001t3.2150.448--3.8940.472--P0.0011.569--0.0011.738--ConclusionsThis research carried out experiments to verify the effect of positive psychological intervention on improving the competency and psychological pressure resistance of “double qualified” teachers. The experimental results showed that the post-competence and anti-pressure ability of the financial “double qualified” teachers in the experience group after positive psychological intervention were higher than those in the control group, and the difference was significant. The experimental results show that positive psychology training is conducive to improving the negative psychological pressure resistance of the “double qualified” teachers in China, so as to enhance their post competency.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Resilience Training and Positive Psychology on Resilience and social Adjustment of Mothers of Children with Gender Dysphoria Disorder

Aim: This research was administered with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of resilience training and positive psychology training on resilience and social adaptability of mothers of children with gender dysphoria disorder. Method: The current research was a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population included all mothers with children suffering from gender dysphoria, who were diagnosed through membership in official groups of people suffering from gender dysphoria and diagnosed through a diagnostic interview by a clinical psychologist in Isfahan city in 2022. Sampling was done using the accessible method based on the entry criteria and 45 mothers were selected and randomly and using lottery in three groups (two intervention groups and one control group) and each group was replaced by 15 people. Data were collected through social adjustment questionnaires of Bell (1961) and Connor and Davidson resilience (2003). Resilience training (edited and validated in the present study) and positive psychology based on the theory of Seligman et al. (2006) were each implemented during 9 sessions of 95 minutes and the control group received the training after completing the work. In line with the inferential analysis, the data were analyzed through variance analysis of repeated measures and Bonferroni's post hoc test using SPSS version 26 software. Results: The results showed that resiliency training and positive psychology were effective in improving the resilience of mothers (F=9.94, p<0.01). However, resilience training and positive psychology were not effective in promoting social adaptation of mothers (F=3.80, p<0.05). Also, there was a significant difference between the two groups of resilience training and positive training with the control group (p<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two experimental groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed the effectiveness of resilience training and positive psychology on increasing the resilience of mothers of people with gender boredom. These two types of training can be used to help improve the resilience of the mothers of these people.

The Effectiveness of Positive Psychology Education on Psychological Distress of Adolescents

Aim: The main goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of positive psychology education on psychological distress of adolescents in shiraz city. Methods: The research method of this study was a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group. The statistical population of this research was consisted of all male students of Arts and cultural Foundations of Shiraz city, in the year 2022. The statistical sample of this research included 30 boys' students of Cultural and Art Foundation of Vasta in Shiraz City, who were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly placed in two experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent twelve sessions of 90-minute positive psychology training sessions introduced by Seligman and Rashid (2006), but the control group did not receive any training. The research instruments were the Scale the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale questionnaire (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995). SPSS-26 was used for statistical analysis of data. Results: The results of multivariate covariance analysis showed that the training of positive psychological abilities has been able to be significantly effective on the psychological helplessness of adolescents in Shiraz. Also, the results of this research showed that the training of positive psychological abilities had a significant effect on the components of psychological helplessness. Conclusions: Therefore, teaching positive psychological abilities can be an effective approach to reduce adolescents' psychological vulnerability and helplessness.

Cognitive Behavioral Training and Positive Psychology Training for Pregnant Women’s Psychological Health

Cognitive Behavioral Training and Positive Psychology Training for Pregnant Women’s Psychological Health

Improving the psychological well-being of nurses through Islamic positive psychology training

Nurses have a heavy workload, which has become heavier during the COVID-19 pandemic, putting them at risk of psychological stress and affecting their psychological well-being, which impacts their mental health, work productivity, and self-development. In addition, their worship activities also decrease. However, there has been little research on Islamic-based interventions to improve the psychological well-being of nurses. This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of Islamic-based positive psychology training on improving such well-being by comparing the pre-test and post-test results of the control and experimental groups employed. The Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale and training were given to 38 respondents using consecutive sampling. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0, observation, independent assignments, and open questionnaires. The Mann-Whitney test results (Z = -2.416; p ˂ .05) and those of Wilcoxon (Z-experiment = -2.774; p ˂ .05 and Z-control = -0.081; p .05) show that Islamic-based positive psychology training is effective in improving the psychological well-being of nurses. This research contributes to providing alternative interventions that can be used to foster positive activities and emotions that can improve such well-being.

Pelatihan Online Psikologi Positif Berbasis Nilai Islam untuk Meningkatkan Resiliensi Mahasiswa

Abstract. University students are vulnerable to psychological problems, including Muslim university students. One of the reasons is the low resilience level. Therefore, an intervention is needed to develop the resilience of Muslim students so that it is expected to face difficulties and at the same time encourage self-development to protect students from psychological problems. The intervention will be better if it is adjusted to the values held by students, one of which is religious values. However, psychological interventions based on religious values to increase student resilience have not been developed much. This study aims to examine the effect of Islamic-based positive psychology online training on the improvement of university students’ resilience. The training modules were prepared based on the positive psychology intervention techniques and integrated with Islamic values. The training consists of six sessions and was delivered via Zoom meeting. This study employed a quasi-experiment with a one-group design pretest-posttest. The target participants of this study were Muslims students of the Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta. Participants who took part in this study received information that was announced through several social media. The study participants were 10 Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta students. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) was used to measure the resilience in Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta’s students. The data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and the results showed the scores of p = 0.005 (p 0.05). This result showed that online positive psychological training with Islamic values improves the university students’ resilience. Online positive psychology training based on Islamic can be used for promotive programs to improve Muslim students' mental health in Indonesia.Keywords: Islamic values; online training; positive psychology; resilience; university students

Evaluation of the of Positive Psychology Training Effectiveness on Rumination and Depression in Women with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: Preventing chronic diseases is important for public health. The aim of this study was evaluation the effectiveness of positive psychology (PP) training on rumination and depression in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Materials and Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental design and a pre-test-post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the present study consisted of women with T2DM. By referring to the medical centers of regions 7, 4, 11, and 16 in Tehran, 30 people were selected by purposive sampling method. Data collection tools in this study were two standard questionnaires of Nolen-Hoeksema and Beck Depression (1978) and positive educational training and guidance protocol. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 21. Results: The results showed that PP training has a positive and significant effect on decrease rumination in women with T2DM (Pvalue= 0.001). Also, PP training has a positive and significant effect on reducing depression in women with T2DM (P-value= 0.002). The PP training had a greater effect on rumination in women with T2DM than depression. Conclusion: Positive training in psychology has an impact on rumination and depression in women with T2DM, according to the findings. The findings of the study show that therapeutic intervention for rumination and stress is subordinated to the health network's planned working processes.

Comparison of Effectiveness of Academic Meaning Oriented Training and Positive Psychology Training on Academic Optimism and Meaning of Education

Comparison of Effectiveness of Academic Meaning Oriented Training and Positive Psychology Training on Academic Optimism and Meaning of Education

The Effects of Cognitive-metacognitive Strategies Training and Positive Psychology Training on Academic Self-efficacy, Academic Burnout, and Learning Strategies

Objective: The present research aimed to explore the effects of cognitive-metacognitive strategies and positive psychology training skills on academic self-efficacy, academic burnout, and learning strategies. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental with an unequal control group design. The statistical population included students in Arak City, Iran, in the academic year 2019-2020. Accordingly, 45 of whom were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly divided into 3 experimental and control groups (n=15/group). The study participants completed the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, Bresso et al.’s (1997) Burnout Questionnaire, and the Learning Strategies Scale. The study hypotheses were tested by Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results: The present study data indicated that concerning self-efficacy and academic burnout, teaching cognitive-metacognitive strategies was more effective than positive psychology training (P<0.01). Conclusion: The present research results that teaching cognitive-metacognitive strategies and positive psychology promoted academic self-efficacy and learning strategies and reduced academic burnout.

The Effectiveness of Positive Psychology Training on the Resiliency and Job Satisfaction of Government Employees

Abstract Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of positive psychology training on the resiliency and job satisfaction of government employees in Hamadan province. Method: The statistical population of this quasi-experimental study consisted of all government employees of Hamadan province in spring 2019. From this statistical population, 30 individuals (15 in an experimental group, 15 in a control Group) were purposively selected as the subjects of the study and were randomly assigned into one control group and one experimental group. Pre-test and post-test were used to collect research data by two standard questionnaires: Job Satisfaction Questionnaire and Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale . Data analysis was done by SPSS software version 25 using analysis of covariance and MANCOVA. Results: The results showed that positive psychology training can optimize and increase resiliency and job satisfaction in adverse conditions (p <0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, positive psychology training can be considered as an effective way to promote resiliency and job satisfaction of employees, and is recommended to increase their job satisfaction.

Short Report: A Pilot Study of a Group Positive Psychology Intervention for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Positive psychology uses targeted activities to increase the frequency and intensity of positive emotional experiences. Positive psychology interventions that increase positive constructs may facilitate adjustment and improve well-being in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The primary goal of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a 5-week group positive psychology intervention for patients with MS. In addition, we examined the utility of the group intervention to increase positive psychological constructs and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). 11 patients completed 5 weeks of group positive psychology training, one time per week (session duration, 45-60 minutes). Each week, patients completed one of the following positive psychology exercises: gratitude for positive events, personal strengths, gratitude letter, enjoyable and meaningful activities, and remembering past successes. Patients completed patient-reported outcome measures, including measures of positive affect, optimism, depression, anxiety, and HRQOL, at baseline and after 5 weeks. All the participants completed the 5-week group positive psychology intervention, and 82% attended four or more sessions. Improvements in fatigue (vitality) and depression after the group intervention were significant (P = .016 and .049, respectively). There were no statistically significant changes in positive or negative affect, optimism, anxiety, HRQOL, or cognition. The 5-week group positive psychology intervention was feasible and acceptable to patients with MS. A randomized controlled trial is necessary to further explore the effectiveness of the group intervention.

The Role and Reprocessing of Attitudes in Fostering Employee Work Happiness: An Intervention Study

This intervention study examines the iterative reprocessing of explicit and implicit attitudes as the process underlying associations between positive employee attitudes (PsyCap), perception of positive organization culture (organizational virtuousness, OV), and work happiness. Using a quasi-experimental design, a group of school staff (N = 69) completed surveys at three time points. After the first assessment, the treatment group (n = 51) completed a positive psychology training intervention. Results suggest that employee PsyCap, OV, and work happiness are associated with one another through both implicit and explicit attitudes. Further, the Iterative-Reprocessing Model of attitudes (IRM) provides some insights into the processes underlying these associations. By examining the role and processes through which explicit and implicit attitudes relate to wellbeing at work, the study integrates theories on attitudes, positive organizational scholarship, positive organizational behavior and positive education. It is one of the first studies to apply the theory of the IRM to explain associations amongst PsyCap, OV and work happiness, and to test the IRM theory in a field-based setting. In applying attitude theory to wellbeing research, this study provides insights to mechanisms underlying workplace wellbeing that have not been previously examined and in doing so responds to calls for researchers to learn more about the mechanisms underlying wellbeing interventions. Further, it highlights the need to understand subconscious processes in future wellbeing research and to include implicit measures in positive psychology interventions measurement programs. Practically, this research calls attention to the importance of developing both the positive attitudes of employees and the organizational culture in developing employee work happiness.

A Positive Psychology Theoretical Model to Coach Veterans Through Successful Transitions

A conceptual model was constructed on the basis of an extensive literature review examining positive psychology topics as related to human resource development. The Problem Research primarily focused on workplace or university settings. Fostering positive psychology in veterans’ work transitions is a new and an important component to human resource development research. The Solution The benefits of focusing on positive psychology in the military to better prepare veterans for the workforce starts with support from research in the workplace and the university setting. Psychological well-being is vital to workplace performance and engagement. Despite the research supporting positive psychology, systematic approaches to developing psychological well-being often go missing in organizations and in the military. The Stakeholders An institution wide implementation of a positive psychology approach imbedded in human resource development would allow for measurement of the impact in the veteran population. Models of positive psychology training would guide the promotion of well-being in military to work transitions.

Exploring Selective Exposure and Confirmation Bias as Processes Underlying Employee Work Happiness: An Intervention Study.

Employee psychological capital (PsyCap), perceptions of organizational virtue (OV), and work happiness have been shown to be associated within and over time. This study examines selective exposure and confirmation bias as potential processes underlying PsyCap, OV, and work happiness associations. As part of a quasi-experimental study design, school staff (N = 69) completed surveys at three time points. After the first assessment, some staff (n = 51) completed a positive psychology training intervention. Results of descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses on the intervention group provide some support for selective exposure and confirmation bias as explanatory mechanisms. In focusing on the processes through which employee attitudes may influence work happiness this study advances theoretical understanding, specifically of selective exposure and confirmation bias in a field study context.