Abstract
Purpose
Governments are using measures of subjective well-being in preference to more objective measures of social progress (e.g., gross domestic product), yet interventions to address well-being are often costly. The present study tests the ability of a brief psychological intervention based on self-affirmation theory (Steele in Advances in experimental social psychology, Academic Press, New York, 1988) to protect subjective well-being among a community sample likely to have diminished well-being (i.e., women aged 46 years and older, Inglehart in Int J Comp Sociol 43: 391–408, 2002. doi: 10.1177/002071520204300309).
Methods
One hundred and forty women aged 46 years and older completed baseline measures of subjective well-being, interpersonal feelings and self-esteem at baseline before being randomized to a self-affirmation or control group. Subjective well-being, interpersonal feelings and self-esteem were assessed again at follow-up.
Results
Results showed that, controlling for baseline subjective well-being, the well-being of women who had self-affirmed was significantly higher at follow-up than those in the control condition. Affirming the self did not significantly influence interpersonal feelings or self-esteem, compared with the control condition.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that a low-cost brief psychological intervention based on self-affirmation theory, with potentially large public health “reach,” could be used to protect subjective well-being—a key aim of government policies.
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I would like to thank Josh Williamson for his help with collecting and entering the data.
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Armitage, C.J. A brief psychological intervention to protect subjective well-being in a community sample. Qual Life Res 25, 385–391 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1076-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-015-1076-6