Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
This study aims to assess the effects of two different types of interventions aimed at increasing happiness in the Flemish general population as compared to individuals that receive no intervention.
This randomized trial has two aims:
Methods
Design and procedure
Participants will be contacted through social media and directed to a website that is specifically designed for this study.
All participants who register for the study first will electronically sign an informed consent and will be asked to complete a brief battery of questionnaires online (base line measures) before randomization.
Participants then are assigned randomly using a block-randomized design to one of the three conditions using a computerized algorithm:
All participants will be assessed weekly during the intervention (see below) and followed-up 6 months after the end of the study.
Measures
Participants will complete a detailed demographic questionnaire.
Primary outcome measures:
Secondary outcome measures
Predictors of outcome
Data analyses
Repeated measures Anova and multilevel modeling will be used to assess differences between the three conditions in primary and secondary outcomes at the end of the intervention and at follow-up. Regression analyses and growth curve modeling will be used to examine the effects of the predictors on primary and secondary outcomes.
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly tips | Active Comparator | Daily small and concrete happiness tips |
|
| Daily Tips | Active Comparator | Weekly more in-depth happiness tips involving an active (doing and experiencing) task |
|
| Wait-List Control | No Intervention | No intervention |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly tips | Behavioral | Participants in this condition receive weekly a more in-depth tip to increase feelings of happiness involving a (doing and experiencing) task |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Subjective Happiness Scale | 4 weeks after start of intervention and 6 months after end of intervention | |
| Steen Happiness Inventory | 4 weeks after start of intervention and 6 months after end of intervention |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) | 4 weeks after start of intervention and 6 months after end of intervention | |
| Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) | 4 weeks after start of intervention and 6 months after end of intervention |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning in Life Questionnaire | Start of intervention (predictor variable) | |
| Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) | Start of intervention (predictor variable) | |
| Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Luyten, PhD | KULeuven, Belgium | Principal Investigator |
| Mia Leijssen, PhD | KULeuven, Belgium | Study Director |
| Sara Casalin, PhD | KULeuven, Belgium | Study Director |
| Jessie Dezutter, PhD | KULeuven, Belgium | Study Director |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences | Leuven | 3000 | Belgium |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16045394 | Background | Seligman ME, Steen TA, Park N, Peterson C. Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions. Am Psychol. 2005 Jul-Aug;60(5):410-21. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410. | |
| Background | Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. S. (1999). A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation. Social Indicators Research, 46, 137-155. | ||
| 3397865 |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Daily Tips | Behavioral | Participants in this condition receive daily a set of small tips aimed at increasing happiness |
|
| Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale | 4 weeks after start of intervention and 6 months after end of intervention |
| Brief Symptom Inventory (KKL, Korte KlachtenLijst) | 4 weeks after start of intervention and 6 months after end of intervention |
| Start of intervention (predictor variable) |
| Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness (KIMS) | Start of intervention (predictor variable) |
| Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) | Start of intervention (predictor variable) |
| Background |
| Watson D, Clark LA, Tellegen A. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988 Jun;54(6):1063-70. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1063. |
| 11556941 | Background | Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x. |
| 956505 | Background | Blatt SJ, D'Afflitti JP, Quinlan DM. Experiences of depression in normal young adults. J Abnorm Psychol. 1976 Aug;85(4):383-9. doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.85.4.383. No abstract available. |
| 10707340 | Background | Fraley RC, Waller NG, Brennan KA. An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2000 Feb;78(2):350-65. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.78.2.350. |
| 8126686 | Background | Bagby RM, Parker JD, Taylor GJ. The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale--I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. J Psychosom Res. 1994 Jan;38(1):23-32. doi: 10.1016/0022-3999(94)90005-1. |
| 18042300 | Background | Tennant R, Hiller L, Fishwick R, Platt S, Joseph S, Weich S, Parkinson J, Secker J, Stewart-Brown S. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): development and UK validation. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2007 Nov 27;5:63. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-5-63. |
| Background | Lange, A., & Appelo, M. (2007). Handleiding Korte Klachten Lijst (KKL) [Manual for the Brief Symptom Inventory]. Houten, The Netherlands: Bohn Stafleu Van Loghum. |
| Background | Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80 |
| 15358875 | Background | Baer RA, Smith GT, Allen KB. Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: the Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills. Assessment. 2004 Sep;11(3):191-206. doi: 10.1177/1073191104268029. |