Web-Based Positive Psychology Interventions: A Reexamination of Effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: Seligman, Steen, Park, and Peterson (2005) suggested that positive psychology interventions (PPIs) contain specific, powerful, therapeutic ingredients that effect greater increases in happiness and reductions in depression than a placebo control. This study reexamined the three PPIs that Seligman et al. found to be most effective when delivered over the internet. METHOD: Three PPIs and a placebo control, identical with the interventions used by Seligman et al., were examined in a web-based, randomized assignment design. RESULTS: Mixed-design analysis of variance and multilevel modeling showed that all interventions, including the placebo, led to significant increases in happiness and reductions in depression. The effects of PPIs were indistinguishable from those of the placebo control. CONCLUSION: Using web-based delivery, both PPIs and theoretically neutral placebos can increase happiness and reduce depression in self-selected populations. Possible explanations include that non-specific factors common to most therapeutic treatments are responsible for the observed changes, or that cultural or other context-related variables operate to account for the divergent findings.

Happy Days: Positive Psychology interventions effects on affect in an N-of-1 trial / Efectos de las intervenciones de la Psicología Positiva en el afecto en un ensayo N= 1

Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) have been suggested as self-help tools to increase subjective well-being and happiness. However, most previous studies have been based on between-group comparisons, which are not informative with regard to trajectories of individual change over time. This study is a first attempt at examining whether completing frequently used PPIs ---- ‘Three Good Things in Life’, ‘Using Signature Strengths in a New Way’ and ‘Gratitude Visit’ ----results in consistent changes in affect at the level of the individual. In an N-of-1-study design, participants were randomly allocated to one of six counterbalanced patterns of the PPIs over a 9---10 week period. The affective aspect of subjective well-being was measured daily using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Hierarchical linear modelling showed significant changes in PANAS scores, but no statistically significant differential impact on positive affect of the PPIs, apart from a marginally significant time × intervention interaction for ‘Using Signature Strengths in a New Way’. This suggests that frequently used PPIs do not result in changes in affect over time. This finding questions recommending the use of PPIs as self-help tools (AU)

Las intervenciones de la Psicología Positiva (IPP) se han sugerido como herramientas de autoayuda para aumentar el bienestar subjetivo y la felicidad. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los estudios previos se ha basado en comparaciones entre grupos que no informan del cambio individual en el tiempo. Este estudio es un primer intento de examinar si las IPP habitualmente empleadas ‘‘Tres cosas buenas de la vida’’, ‘‘Uso de las fortalezas características de un modo distinto’’ y ‘‘Visita de gratitud’’ provocan cambios en el afecto a nivel individual. En un diseño N = 1, los participantes fueron asignados al azar a uno de los seis patrones contrabalanceados de las IPP durante 9-10 semanas. El aspecto afectivo del bienestar subjetivo se midió diariamente usando la Escala de Afecto Positivo y Afecto Negativo (PANAS). El modelo jerárquico lineal mostró cambios estadísticamente significativos en las puntuaciones PANAS, pero ningún efecto diferencial estadísticamente significativo en el afecto positivo, excepto la interacción tiempo x intervención para ‘‘fortalezas características’’. Los resultados sugieren que las IPP empleadas habitualmente no provocan cambios en el afecto a lo largo del tiempo. Este hallazgo cuestiona el uso de las IPP como herramientas de autoayuda (AU)

Happy Days: Positive Psychology interventions effects on affect in an N-of-1 trial.

Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) have been suggested as self-help tools to increase subjective well-being and happiness. However, most previous studies have been based on between-group comparisons, which are not informative with regard to trajectories of individual change over time. This study is a first attempt at examining whether completing frequently used PPIs - 'Three Good Things in Life', 'Using Signature Strengths in a New Way' and 'Gratitude Visit' -results in consistent changes in affect at the level of the individual. In an N-of-1-study design, participants were randomly allocated to one of six counterbalanced patterns of the PPIs over a 9-10 week period. The affective aspect of subjective well-being was measured daily using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Hierarchical linear modelling showed significant changes in PANAS scores, but no statistically significant differential impact on positive affect of the PPIs, apart from a marginally significant time × intervention interaction for 'Using Signature Strengths in a New Way'. This suggests that frequently used PPIs do not result in changes in affect over time. This finding questions recommending the use of PPIs as self-help tools.

Las intervenciones de la Psicología Positiva (IPP) se han sugerido como herramientas de autoayuda para aumentar el bienestar subjetivo y la felicidad. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los estudios previos se ha basado en comparaciones entre grupos que no informan del cambio individual en el tiempo. Este estudio es un primer intento de examinar si las IPP habitualmente empleadas "Tres cosas buenas de la vida", "Uso de las fortalezas características de un modo distinto" y "Visita de gratitud" provocan cambios en el afecto a nivel individual. En un diseño N = 1, los participantes fueron asignados al azar a uno de los seis patrones contrabalanceados de las IPP durante 9-10 semanas. El aspecto afectivo del bienestar subjetivo se midió diariamente usando la Escala de Afecto Positivo y Afecto Negativo (PANAS). El modelo jerárquico lineal mostró cambios estadísticamente significativos en las puntuaciones PANAS, pero ningún efecto diferencial estadísticamente significativo en el afecto positivo, excepto la interacción tiempo x intervención para "fortalezas características". Los resultados sugieren que las IPP empleadas habitualmente no provocan cambios en el afecto a lo largo del tiempo. Este hallazgo cuestiona el uso de las IPP como herramientas de autoayuda.

Vaccination, consent and multidose vials.

Multidose vials (MDVs) for injectable therapeutic agents, including vaccines, pose a risk of infection to injected patients as a result of contamination of the vials. The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) distributed the vaccine against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza in MDVs. The distribution was accompanied by consent forms. The consent forms provided an inadequate basis for a discussion with patients about the risks associated with the use of MDVs. The High Court of Australia has previously held that medical practitioners who fail to explain the material risks of medical procedures to their patients might be held liable in negligence for any adverse sequelae of the procedures, even if the risks are very low. Medical practitioners, nurses, medical indemnity insurers and the DoHA should prepare now for the probable future use of MDVs by developing a consent form that would provide a solid foundation for a discussion of material risks with patients seeking vaccination.

Scoring the VIA Survey of Character.

The VIA Survey of Character (VIA) is a self-report inventory designed to measure and assess 24 character strengths that are linked conceptually to six fundamental "virtues"--Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence, as developed by Peterson and Seligman in 2004. Despite its popularity, the current presentation of the VIA is not easy to score; researchers must either use a limited online scoring facility or must use outdated scoring keys. This paper presents a full description of the scoring key.

Mach bands change asymmetrically during solar eclipses.

Observations made during two partial eclipses of the Sun show that the Mach bands on shadows cast by the Sun disappear and reappear asymmetrically as an eclipse progresses. These changes can be explained as due to changes in the shape of the penumbras of shadows as the visible portion of the Sun forms crescents of different orientation.

Psychology ethics down under: a survey of student subject pools in Australia.

A survey of the 37 psychology departments offering courses accredited by the Australian Psychological Society yielded a 92% response rate. Sixty-eight percent of departments employed students as research subjects, with larger departments being more likely to do so. Most of these departments drew their student subject pools from introductory courses. Student research participation was strictly voluntary in 57% of these departments, whereas 43% of the departments have failed to comply with normally accepted ethical standards. It is of great concern that institutional ethics committees apparently continue to condone, or fail to act against, unethical research practices. Although these committees have a duty of care to all subjects, the final responsibility for conducting research in an ethical manner lies with the individual researcher.