High levels of loneliness are prominent in teenagers ranging from ages 14–19. The 4‐week Self‐Care program, offered by the Heartfulness Institute, is designed to develop social–emotional skills and self‐observation. This study examined the impact of the Self‐Care program on loneliness in high school students in the United States in a randomized, wait‐list control trial with baseline and postintervention assessments. High school participants, aged 14–19, were randomized into a control‐wait‐listed group (n = 54) and a Heartfulness group (n = 54). Both the groups completed the intervention and the presurveys and postsurveys online, assessing their loneliness with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The initial analysis noted the baseline equivalence of the data. A repeated measures ANOVA found a significant time * group interaction, with a significant decrease in loneliness reported in the Heartfulness Intervention group but no significant pre–post difference in the control group. In summary, the short online intervention program consisting of self‐care tools decreased loneliness scores in the participants. This study opens up a new valley of possibilities, apart from existing research, and demonstrates that the online intervention used might be helpful to decrease loneliness levels in teens.
The basic ideas behind contribution analysis were set out in 2001. Since then, interest in the approach has grown and contribution analysis has been opera tionalized in different ways. In addition, several reviews of the approach have been published and raise a few concerns. In this article, I clarify several of the key concepts behind contribution analysis, including contributory causes and contribution claims. I discuss the need for reasonably robust theories of change and the use of nested theories of change to unpack complex settings. On contribution claims, I argue the need for causal narratives to arrive at credible claims, the limited role that external causal factors play in arriving at contribution claims, the use of robust theories of change to avoid bias, and the fact that opinions of stakeholders on the contribution made are not central in arriving at contribution claims.
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