Well-being on campus: testing the effectiveness of an online strengths-based intervention for first year college students

ABSTRACT

The present research examined the effectiveness of an 8-week online strengths-based intervention in promoting subjective and psychological well-being of first year university students. The intervention was composed of five modules pertaining to (a) finding and cultivating on character strengths, (b) regulation of emotions and increasing positive emotions, (c) constructive communication, establishing social connectedness and positive relationships (d) effective decision-making and problem solving and (e) achieving flow and practicing gratitude. A total 92 students volunteered to participate in the study. They were randomly assigned to either the intervention or a control group. Students’ quality of life (psychological health and social relations domains), life satisfaction, subjective happiness and ontological well-being were measured before and after the intervention. Significant improvements in well-being of intervention group participants were observed over an 8-week period whereas control group participants did not show a significant increase in any of these well-being variables.

KEYWORDS:

• Well-being
• quality of life
• happiness
• higher education
• life satisfaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Selda Koydemir, Ph.D., is a full-time faculty at the Psychological Counselling Department of Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus. She obtained her Ph.D. in psychological counselling from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Her current research interests include understanding personal, interpersonal, as well as cultural predictors of subjective well-being and happiness. She is also interested in developing and testing the effectiveness of well-being interventions for different populations.

Eda Sun-Selışık, Ph.D. is the director of Student Development and Counselling Centre at Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus. She obtained her Ph.D. in psychological counselling from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Her research interests include peer mentoring and peer guidance programmes in university campuses, well-being of university students and counselling needs of students.

Notes

1. Those who scored above the threshold were given information about the counselling services available on campus. However, none of them were willing to take any of these services at that time.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus Research Fund.