Flourishing students and families : enchancing well-being of adolescents and families through positive psychology interventions

Approximately one adolescent in five or even four is faced with mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety (Racine et al., 2021; Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 2021a, 2021b). Schools and parents have an influential role in building positive mental health in children and adolescents (e.g., Owens & Waters, 2020; Waters et al., 2022). Theories and evidence-based methods from positive psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) used in positive psychology interventions (PPIs) offer a valuable framework for fostering well-being, optimal functioning and flourishing in children, adolescents and parents. However, prior research is lacking school-based long-term multicomponent PPIs (MPPIs) (Tejada-Gallardo et al., 2020). Additionally, a clear lack exists in using PPIs, particularly MPPIs, in the context of parents and families (Hendriks et al., 2020; Waters, 2020). In previous studies quantitative assessments rely primarily on questionnaires, which in turn may cause problems with reliability. In the present doctoral thesis, the aim is to address these gaps by evaluating with multiple methods the efficacy of two MPPIs aimed at strengthening psychological well-being. The programs were a one-year long Flourishing Students program and an eight-week long Flourishing Families program. The main research focus in this thesis was on early adolescents’ and parents’ emotional well-being. Additionally, the impact of the Flourishing Families program on parents’ mindfulness and strengths in parenting was examined. Three studies were carried out to answer these research questions. The present thesis belongs under the Strength, Happiness and Compassion (SHC) project developed at the Folkhälsan Research Center in Helsinki, Finland, during 2015–2018. In the Flourishing Students study (studies I and II) 140 Finnish middle school students (aged 10–12) from eight classes in the Helsinki region and western Finland were cluster-randomized into intervention and control groups. A total of 72 students participated in 32 well-being lessons within a school year, while 68 students in the control classes followed their standard school curriculum. Data collection consisted of web-based questionnaires and momentary assessments using a smartphone application (i.e., Experience sampling method (ESM), 8 beeps/day for six days) at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at a 5-month follow-up (only questionnaire). Assessments were complemented with questionnaire for parents and with qualitative data from the intervention class students and class teachers. In the Flourishing Families study (study III) parents from six parental groups held in two different cities in Southern Finland were randomly allocated to the immediate intervention and wait-list control groups (final n = 63). Parents’ emotions and mindfulness in parenting were measured with web-based questionnaires and daily ESM assessments (10 beeps/day for five days), and strengths in parenting with ESM. Quantitative measures were complemented with qualitative measures. The data were gathered at pre-, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up (questionnaire only). In study I, the main findings from the student questionnaire and 6-day ESM data indicated that participation in the Flourishing Students program had a beneficial effect on students’ positive affect and a buffering effect on daily negative affect from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Results from the qualitative data from students and class teachers supported these findings. In study II, findings from the 6-day ESM data regarding distinct daily positive and negative emotions analyzed with and without contextual features suggest that the Flourishing Students intervention buffered against the increasing trajectory of daily negative emotions that is typical during early adolescence. Additionally, after the well-being lessons, students felt less lonely also when alone, experienced an improvement in enjoyment in being alone, and felt calmer compared to students in the control group. The intervention effect was slightly more pronounced in girls than boys. In study III, findings from the questionnaire and 5-day ESM data suggest that the Flourishing Families program had a positive impact on mindfulness in parenting, on emotional well-being by shifting the emotional balance towards more positive emotions and less negative emotions, and on awareness and usage of own strengths. The findings were more evident in the pooled data. Findings from the qualitative data supported the beneficial impact of the parental group. Altogether, our findings indicate that the Flourishing Students and Flourishing Families interventions had a positive effect on adolescents’ and parents’ emotional well-being. Additionally, the findings demonstrated slight improvements in mindfulness and strengths in parenting. The current thesis makes a valuable contribution to the field of positive psychology both theoretically and methodologically. Firstly, the thesis introduces two novel MPPIs. Secondly, the thesis broadens the scope of intervention assessment methods to include momentary assessments, and therefore enables the examination of distinct emotions with contextual features. By using a mixed method approach, we gained multi-faceted and more comprehensive information on the studied topics. These, in turn, increase the theoretical significance of the thesis. It is important to apply the evidence-based methods of positive psychology and CBT when working with children, adolescents and families as these methods have proven to be an efficient way to foster well-being. Policymakers have a pivotal role in enabling systematic and long-term well-being work on a broader scale. With this doctoral thesis I hope to both inspire and encourage researchers, teachers, other school staff, practitioners and policymakers in this important work to enhance optimal well-being and promote flourishing in children, adolescents and families.