Long-term analysis of a psychoeducational course on university students’ mental well-being
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21325199 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Catherine Hobbs (0000-0002-2324-5882, University of Bristol), Sarah Jelbert, Sarah A Jelbert (0000-0002-7503-0648, University of Bristol), Laurie R Santos (0000-0003-4188-444X, Yale University), Bruce Hood (0000-0001-7258-981X, University of Bristol, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 88 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 2093-2105 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-1560 • E-ISSN: 1573-174X |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10734-024-01202-4 |
| OpenAlex | W4392590822 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 17 |
Although many higher educational institute (HEI) psychoeducational courses teaching positive psychology interventions report benefits to mental well-being upon completion, they have not typically addressed whether such beneficial effects are sustained long-term beyond the period of the courses. Here, we report a pre-registered follow-up of 228 undergraduate students, from a variety of disciplines, who took a positive psychology course 1 or 2 years previously. Overall, group analysis revealed that students who had taken the course did not continue to show the originally reported benefits at follow-up. Students who had taken the course scored higher on mental well-being than other students tested using a university-wide survey, but they were also higher at baseline 1–2 years earlier indicating a sampling bias. An exploratory analysis, however, revealed that 115 students (51% of the group) who had continued to practice the recommended activities taught during the course maintained their increased mental well-being over the period of follow-up. We therefore suggest that continued engagement is a key factor in sustaining the long-term benefits of positive psychology courses. Implementation of such courses should therefore include provision and mechanisms for maintaining future student engagement
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Positive Psychology Progress
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |