Effects of positive psychology intervention on the psychological well-being of adolescents: a preliminary study

Authors

  • Mariachiara Gaita Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta Italia. Autore responsabile per la corrispondenza: mariachiara.gaita@unicampania.it
  • Mariamichela Aquino Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italia
  • Alfredo Di Dio Rotary Club Avellino, Avellino, Italia
  • Maria Cropano Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italia
  • Sabatino Galietta Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italia
  • Antonella Fiorentino Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italia
  • Simona Raimo Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Università “Magna Graecia” di Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italia
  • Florindo d'Onofrio Unità di Neurologia e Stroke, “San Giuseppe Moscati” Ospedale di Avellino, Avellino, Italia

Keywords:

Positive psychology, Psychological well-being, Adolescence, Quality of life

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical developmental stage characterized by significant changes that can influence psychological well-being and mental health. In this context, the present study examined the effectiveness of a positive psychology intervention, following Seligman's guidelines (2002), on protective factors against psychological distress (emotional intelligence, resilience, interpersonal skills) in a sample of 45 adolescents aged between 13 and 16 years. All participants completed a battery of standardized questionnaires before (T0) and after (T1) the positive psychology intervention. Overall, the results show significant improvements in the scores on questionnaires assessing skills related to emotional intelligence and interpersonal competencies, highlighting how positive psychology can make adolescents more able to recognizing, understanding, and managing their own and others' emotions, with significant reductions in emotional distress experienced in social situations. Positive psychology interventions in adolescence contribute to strengthening protective psychological aspects, thus proving useful in preventing psychological distress.

 

doi:10.53240/2024topic3n4.0.002

 

Mariachiara Gaita e Mariamichela Aquino share first authorship

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Published

2024-11-29

How to Cite

Gaita, M., Aquino, M., Di Dio, A., Cropano, M., Galietta, S., Fiorentino, A., Raimo, S., & d’Onofrio, F. (2024). Effects of positive psychology intervention on the psychological well-being of adolescents: a preliminary study. TOPIC - Temi Di Psicologia dell’Ordine Degli Psicologi Della Campania, 3(4). Retrieved from https://topic.oprc.it/index.php/topic/article/view/85

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2024): TOPIC - Temi di Psicologia dell’Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania

Section

Psicologia dello sviluppo

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