Intervention study on enhancing well-being of freshmen in military universities based on Wechat platform
HAN Limin, Peng Fan, Song Weiwei
陆军军医大学学报 December 12, 2023 DOI: 10.16016/j.2097-0927.202306120 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study (two-stage, non-randomized controlled trial) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 228 |
| Population | Freshmen cadets at a military university in China |
| Interventions | putting complaints aside three good things |
| Duration | 4 weeks (first stage), 8 weeks (second stage) |
| Measures | Miao Yuanjiang's Multiple Happiness Questionnaire (MHQ) |
| Keywords | Cadets Positive psychology interventions Wechat platform Well-being |
| Key findings | A four-week comprehensive WeChat-based positive psychology program (mindfulness meditation, putting complaints aside, three good things) produced significantly higher well-being than no intervention, mainly in life satisfaction, health concern, and self-worth. An eight-week single-exercise program (three good things only) produced no significant difference in well-being gains versus control. The authors attribute the null result to poor matching of activities to the target group, participants' motivation, and the simplicity of the activity. |
Abstract
Objective: To explore the efficacy of Wechat platform-based positive psychology intervention on the well-being in freshmen in military universities.
Methods: Two stages of experiments were carried out. In the first stage, 67 cadets were subjected from the classroom teaching class of a military university by cluster sampling, and were assigned into an experimental group (n=30) and a control group (n=37) according to their own willing. The participants of the experimental group were asked to follow WeChat official account "Happiness Promotion Training Camp" and write records of "mindfulness meditation", "putting complaints aside" and "three good things" every day, but those of the control group had no such interventions. In the second stage, 161 cadets were sampled as above and autonomously divided into experimental group (n=74) and the control group (n=87). The experimental group followed the official account "Happiness Promotion Training Camp" and recorded "three good things" every day, and the other group received no such intervention. In both stages, Miao Yuanjiang's Multiple Happiness questionnaire (MHQ) was used to evaluate the participants of the 2 groups before and after intervention. Results ① In the first stage, after 4 weeks, the experimental group got significantly higher well-being than the control group, mainly in the dimensions of life satisfaction, health concern and self-worth. ② In the second stage, there was no significant difference in the increase of well-being between the experimental group and the control group after 8 weeks. It may be related to the matching of intervention activities and target groups, the subjects' motivation and the simplicity of intervention activities.
Conclusion: WeChat platform-based comprehensive positive psychology intervention can improve the well-being of cadets, but the effect of single psychological intervention is not good.