Attitude change after a curriculum on the science and philosophy of well‐being and happiness for high school students

A classroom‐randomized trial

Bibliographic Data

ID9615775
AuthorsPaul H Desan (Department of Psychiatry Yale School of Medicine New Haven Connecticut USA, corresponding author), Mark Setton (University of Bridgeport), Mark K Setton (School of Public and International Affairs University of Bridgeport Connecticut USA), Allison A Holzer (InspireCorps, Inc West Hartford Connecticut USA), Kevin Young (0000-0002-6369-5108, George Mason University), Kevin C Young (Department of Psychology George Mason University Alexandria Virginia USA), Yan Sun (0000-0001-7588-8444, Department of Psychology Beijing High School #19 Beijing China), Fei He (0000-0003-2995-736X, Department of Psychology Beijing High School #19 Beijing China), Baosong Li (0000-0002-9222-5818, Department of Psychology Beijing High School #19 Beijing China), Andrea J Weinstein (Department of Psychiatry Yale School of Medicine New Haven Connecticut USA), Xiaoling Yu (0000-0003-4860-7517, Department of Psychology Beijing High School #19 Beijing China)
Year2021
Volume91
Issue4
Pages1333-1348
Publication date2021-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjep.12419
PMID33893744
OpenAlexW3154289648
LanguageEN
References cited53

BACKGROUND: Multiple interventions have been tested to promote well-being in high school students, often focusing on depression prevention. AIMS: To test the impact of a one-semester active learning curriculum covering the modern science and philosophy of well-being and happiness on attitudinal measures related to the curriculum and standard measures of depression and well-being. SAMPLE: Subjects were first-year students in an urban high school in Beijing, China (equivalent to US tenth grade). METHODS: Nine classrooms were randomly assigned to the intervention curriculum (n = 252), and nine classrooms were randomly assigned to a traditional psychology curriculum (n = 263). Students completed questionnaires pre- and post-semester including a Positive Attitude Scale (PAS, concerning Relatedness, Competence, Autonomy, Gratitude, Calmness, Mindfulness, and Hope), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Life Satisfaction Scale (LS), Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and a test of knowledge about well-being (Knowledge Test, KT). RESULTS: In a hierarchical linear model, there were statistically significant intervention effects on six of the seven subscales of the PAS, on PANAS balance, and on the KT. CES-D, LS, SHS, and MLQ were improved but not significantly so. Notable overall secular trends in measures of well-being were observed, with a peak in September and nadir in April. CONCLUSIONS: A one-semester course for high school students regarding well-being and happiness demonstrated significant changes in positive attitudes, affective balance, and knowledge about happiness. Circannual trends in well-being measures over the academic year have implications for those designing school intervention studies

Curriculum · Developmental psychology · Gratitude · Happiness · Life satisfaction · Pedagogy · Positive psychology · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Psychotherapist · Test (biology) · Well-being · Clinical Psychology · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology

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