The Impact Of A Positive Psychology Intervention On State Wellbeing In Irish School Children: A Cluster Randomized Control Trial Evaluating The A Lust For Life Schools Program

Abstract

The A Lust for Life (ALFL) Schools Program is a widely employed positive psychology intervention for school children in Ireland which aims to increase levels of state wellbeing. This Randomized Control Trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ALFL Schools program using a newly developed measure of state wellbeing in 8–11-year-old children. The ALFL group (n=165) participated in a 10-week program and the control group (n=160) was placed on a 10-week waiting list.  All participants completed the Feeling Better Scale (FBS) which assesses state wellbeing, and trait measures of wellbeing, anxiety and depression before (Time 1) and after (Time 2) the intervention group completed that ALFL Schools program. Compared with the control group, the ALFL group showed a significantly greater improvement in state wellbeing assessed with the FBS total scale, and Behavioral Skills factor scale, but not the FBS Cognitive Skills factor scale. There were, however, no significant improvements in trait wellbeing, anxiety or depression. Results demonstrated that the ALFL Schools Program led to small significant improvements in state wellbeing arising from using behavioral skills learned on the ALFL Schools Program in 8–11-year-old children.