The current study aims to test whether an online two-week positive psychological intervention can increase positive affect in college students. Participants will be recruited from the University of Pittsburgh undergraduate subject pool. Students will be ineligible if they are under the age of 18; currently prescribed medications for cardiac arrythmias; have a history of heart surgery, heart attack, or stroke; are currently pregnant; or currently have symptoms consistent with COVID-19. This study includes an active control arm and an intervention arm. Both arms will be required to complete writing activities every other day for two weeks. Participants in the control arm will list their daily activities, while participants in the intervention arm will complete various positive psychology activities. Questionnaires assessing mood, emotional well-being, social functioning and a few health behaviors will be administered pre- and post-intervention. The investigators aim to recruit 250 undergraduate students with the hope that at least 50 participants per group will complete the entire study.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
250
Participants will be asked to complete writing activities every other day. They will choose which activity they would like to complete each day, from a menu of six different activities. Each activity is a different positive psychology exercise.
Participants will be asked to complete the same writing activity each day, which will ask them to list their daily activities. Participants will be encouraged to process their daily activities superficially by the receiving the following instructions: (1) list each activity in brief, incomplete sentences, (2) document only facts about performing the activities, and (3) to not provide any information about emotional responses to performing the activities. By following these instructions, participants are presumably deriving less meaning from their activities, which may minimize gains in positive affect in the active control condition
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Change from baseline in positive affect at 1 week post-intervention
Positive and Negative Affective Schedule (20-item). The possible range for this questionnaire is from 5 - 50. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in positive affect at 1 week post-intervention
Positive Emotional Style Questionnaire. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 0 - 36. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in optimism at 1 week post-intervention
Life Orientation Test-Revised. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 6 - 30. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in life satisfaction at 1 week post-intervention
PROMIS - General Life Satisfaction. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 10 - 70. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in psychological well-being at 1 week post-intervention
Psychological Well-Being Scale. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 42 - 294. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in perceived stress at 1 week post-intervention
Perceived Stress Scale. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 0 - 40. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a worse outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in perceived social support at 1 week post-intervention
ISEL (12-item). The possible range for this questionnaire is from 12 - 48. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in loneliness at 1 week post-intervention
UCLA Loneliness Scale (8-item). The possible range for this questionnaire is from 0 - 24. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a worse outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms at 1 week post-intervention
PROMIS - Emotional Distress - Depression - Short Form. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 8 - 40. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a worse outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in anxiety symptoms at 1 week post-intervention
PROMIS - Emotional Distress - Anxiety - Short Form. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 7 - 35. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a worse outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in light physical activity (in general) at 1 week post-intervention
1-items asking participants to report minutes of light physical activity that they perform 'in general.' Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher number on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in moderate physical activity (in general) at 1 week post-intervention
1-item asking participants to report minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity that they perform 'in general.' Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher number on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in sleep quality (in general) at 1 week post-intervention
1-item asking participants to report their overall sleep quality in general. Sleep quality was assessed on a Likert scale from Very bad (0) to Very good (5). Higher scores reflect a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in sleep quantity (in general) at 1 week post-intervention
1-items asking participants to report how long they typically sleep each night.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in negative affect at 1 week post-intervention
Positive and Negative Affective Schedule. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 5 - 50. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a better outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
Change from baseline in negative affect at 1 week post-intervention
Negative Emotional Style Questionnaires. The possible range for this questionnaire is from 0 - 36. Baseline values will be subtracted from post-intervention values and a higher score on this measure represents a worse outcome.
Time frame: Assessed twice, once before the intervention and a second time within one week of completing the intervention.
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