Studying the impact of psychology courses on undergraduates’ wellbeing and mental health. — ASN Events
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Studying the impact of psychology courses on undergraduates’ wellbeing and mental health. (#877)

Kyra Simons 1 , Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise 1 , Adrianna Mendrek 1 , Sarah Fowler 1 , Lea-Maude Roy 1 , Marie-Pier Dumoulin Moore 1
  1. Psychology, Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

Background

Well-being is a multifaceted concept which consists of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment (Seligman, 2018). Previous research has found that attending courses based on positive psychology improved students’ overall mental health and well-being (Goodmon et al., 2016; Maybury 2012). Moreover, positive psychology students have been found to report higher overall happiness and life satisfaction, and fewer depressive symptoms and stress by comparison to students in courses not based in positive psychology (Goodmon et al., 2016). Positive psychology interventions have also previously been found to alleviate symptoms of depression and increase well- being (Pietrowsky & Mikutta, 2012; McTiernan et al., 2021).

Aims

The primary aim of this study is to determine if mental health and well-being improves by taking one course based in positive psychology.

Method

Participants included undergraduate students taking Positive Psychology (PSY303) or Current Topics in Clinical Treatment Models (PSY406) in the Fall 2022 semester at Bishop’s university. PSY406 was chosen as an active control group as it was of similar class size, taught in the same semester by the same professor, and followed a similar evaluation design as PSY303. All participants filled out a survey once at the beginning of the semester, and once at the end of the semester. The survey measured various aspects of well-being including mindfulness, depression, anxiety, stress, subjective well-being, subjective happiness, and satisfaction with life.

Students were expected to regularly attend PSY303 and/or PSY406 to ensure they were actively learning about positive psychology.

Results

At the time of this submission, our data has not yet been analyzed.

Conclusion

Although initial data has not yet been analyzed, this study will be beneficial to the field of psychology as it will allow for further insight on the effects of studying positive psychology on mental health. This study provides a unique contribution to positive psychology research as the results may suggest implementing a greater focus on positive psychology in undergraduate curriculum.

  1. Seligman, M. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 333–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.143 7466
  2. Goodmon, L. B., Middleditch, A. M., Childs, B., & Pietrasiuk, S. E. (2016). Positive psychology course and its relationship to well-being, depression, and stress. Teaching of Psychology, 43(3), 232–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628316649482
  3. Maybury, K. K. (2012). The influence of a positive psychology course on student well-being. Teaching of Psychology, 40(1), 62–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628312465868
  4. Pietrowsky, R., & Mikutta, J. (2012). Effects of positive psychology interventions in depressive Patients—A randomized control study. Psychology, 03(12), 1067–1073. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.312158
  5. McTiernan, K., Gullon-Scott, F., & Dudley, R. (2021). Do positive psychology interventions impact on the subjective wellbeing and depression of clients? A systematic methodological review. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 52(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-021- 09522-7
  • Please select up to 3 keywords from the following list to best describe your submission content: Education, Positive emotions, Self-Care
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