University of Twente Student Theses
Onderzoek naar de effectiviteit van een vriendelijkheidsinterventie: Het effect op welbevinden en depressieve symptomen ende mediërende rol van dankbaarheid
Schijvens, Shiffrah (2019) Onderzoek naar de effectiviteit van een vriendelijkheidsinterventie: Het effect op welbevinden en depressieve symptomen ende mediërende rol van dankbaarheid.
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| Abstract: | Background: There is growing evidence that increasing well-being is just as important as decreasing the symptoms of a mental disorder. Various interventions, within the field of positive psychology, aim to increase well-being. One of these interventions is the “acts of kindness” intervention. Several studies conclude that this intervention not only increases wellbeing, but also reduces depressive symptoms. However, little is known about the working mechanisms of performing acts of kindness. Gratitude seems to play a role in the effect of performing acts of kindness. This study aims to 1) investigate the effect of a acts of kindness intervention on well-being and depressive symptoms and 2) investigate the mediating role of gratitude. Method: The current study was a randomized controlled trial. 168 participants were randomly assigned to either an acts of kindness intervention (n = 84) or to a waiting list (n = 84). Wellbeing, depressive symptoms and gratitude were measured at pre- and post-test. Gratitude was also measured during the intervention (2 weeks after the start). Mixed ANOVAs were performed to investigate the effect of performing acts of kindness on wellbeing and depressive symptoms. Mediation analyses were conducted to investigate whether a change in gratitude during the intervention serves as a mediator of the effect from acts of kindness on wellbeing and depressive symptoms. Results: Mixed ANOVAs showed significant improvements in well-being and depressive symptoms over time. However, no significant interaction effect of time (6 week intervention) x condition (acts of kindness vs. waitlist) was found. The results of the mediation analyses showed that gratitude does not mediate the effect of the kindness intervention on wellbeing and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The results of the current study provide a critical note regarding the execution of a kindness intervention. The results imply that various aspects of this intervention must be optimized. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/79386 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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