A Mixed‐Methodological Evaluation of a Subjective Well‐Being Intervention Program With Elementary‐Age Students

Abstract

An embedded mixed‐methods design was implemented with 34 elementary‐age students (mean age = 10.15 years, SD = 0.65) to evaluate salient experiences and improvements in protective factors and life satisfaction associated with a subjective well‐being intervention program (SWIP). Analyses resulted in a model of participant experiences in which thematic experiences with SWIP participation (improved emotional expression, enhanced self‐discovery, and increased empathy) promoted the emergence of protective factors (self‐concept and self‐confidence) that contributed to life satisfaction.

Evidence for Relationships Between Hope, Resilience, and Mental Health Among Youth

“…These are critical chasms in the counseling profession's understanding of who benefits from particular PPIs, an understanding that is emerging from an evidence base grounded in consideration of the differential influence that age and cultural identities have on developmental experiences and functioning (Lenz et al, 2020, in press; Lenz & Oliver, 2018). This is particularly relevant considering emerging evidence that when PPIs are implemented in age‐sensitive and culturally informed ways, desired effects that can positively influence broader systems tend to follow (Lenz et al, 2020, in press; Roth et al, 2017). Thus, the identification of which positive psychology targets tend to contribute greatest across age groups and among culturally diverse youth may support the identification, development, and implementation of developmental and preventive strategies.…”

“…Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) with youth are based on the premise that identifying and developing character strengths and capacities for positive relationships function as protective factors, both proximally and across the life span (Norrish, 2015). Despite an emerging body of evidence for the efficacy of PPIs with youth (Lambert et al, 2018; Lenz et al, 2020; Suldo et al, 2015; Vela et al, 2019), a functional understanding of which PPI targets are associated with improvements in mental health and well‐being is largely obfuscated (Bolier et al, 2013), particularly in its representation of individuals who identify with a minority ethnic identity (Jeglic et al, 2016). As a result, counselors using PPIs are often compelled to either focus on developing constructs prescribed within proprietary treatment manuals or self‐select ones based on anecdotal experience.…”

Community‐Engaged Research and Evaluation in Counseling: Building Partnerships and Applying Program Evaluation

“…In another investigation, Smith-Adcock et al (2019) sought to understand why interventions were not working by interviewing teachers and students about their perceptions of a classroom bullying intervention. Other examples include client accounts of programmatic factors connected to changes they experienced (Lenz et al, 2020;Lenz & Lancaster, 2017) and experiences with an eating disorder prevention program (Klassen-Bolding, 2018).…”

“…In a notable exception, Fox et al (2013) provided an extensive accounting of a collaborative partnership between a school and a community agency that resulted in wide-scale delivery and outcome evaluation of child mental health services, including role of students as service providers. Lenz et al (2020) reported process and outcomes of a subjective well-being intervention program implemented in a school, and Lenz and Lancaster (2017) reported an external evaluation of a 10-week intensive outpatient program focused on trauma. When process and outcome evaluations are reported together, they provide rich context relevant to practitioners.…”

Advancing the Counseling Profession Through Intervention Research

“…Because all participants received the same intervention, a paired-samples t test allowed the researchers to compare score changes in protective factors among the same group of participants. This comparison was evident in their research question addressing the degree to which a 5-week SWIP accounted for changes in constructs representing subjective well-being (Lenz et al, 2020).…”