Positive Psychological Interventions for Children: A Comparison of Gratitude and Best Possible Selves Approaches

Many studies have found benefits of positive psychological interventions, such as gratitude promotion or thinking about best possible selves, for adolescents and adults. Almost no research, however, has been conducted on the efficacy of such interventions for children. The authors' primary goal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of genetic psychology 2013-07, Vol.174 (4), p.403-428
Main Authors: Owens, Rhea L., Patterson, Meagan M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
affect
Affect - physiology
After School Programs
Art Therapy - methods
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child Development - physiology
Child Psychology
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Childrens Art
Cholestyramine Resin
Comparative Analysis
Content Analysis
Control Groups
Elementary Education
Elementary School Students
Elementary Schools
Experimental Groups
Female
Freehand Drawing
gratitude
Humans
Individual psychotherapy
Intervention
Life Satisfaction
Likert Scales
Locus of Control
Male
Medical sciences
Personal Satisfaction
positive psychology
Positive Reinforcement
possible selves
Psychological aspects
Psychological Studies
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Psychotherapy - methods
Self Concept
Self Esteem
Social Cognition
Treatment Outcome
Treatments
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Summary:Many studies have found benefits of positive psychological interventions, such as gratitude promotion or thinking about best possible selves, for adolescents and adults. Almost no research, however, has been conducted on the efficacy of such interventions for children. The authors' primary goal was to compare the outcomes of gratitude promotion and best possible selves interventions to a control condition, using a sample of elementary school-aged children (N = 62, ages 5-11 years). Children participated in once-weekly intervention sessions in which they were asked to draw a picture of something for which they were grateful that day (gratitude condition), a future version of themselves as happy and engaged (best possible selves condition), or something they had done that day (control condition). Analyses of the content of children's drawings indicated that children of this age were capable of articulating things for which they were grateful and positive future selves. Outcomes for the gratitude condition did not differ from the control condition; however, participants in the best possible selves condition showed greater gains in self-esteem than those in the gratitude or control conditions.
ISSN:0022-1325
1940-0896
DOI:10.1080/00221325.2012.697496