The impact of a wellbeing program imbedded in university classes: the importance of valuing happiness, baseline wellbeing and practice frequency

Abstract

Universities must prepare students for a complex world, but current mental health levels impair student outcomes. Increased concern over student wellbeing has fostered the demand for positive education interventions–a relatively new topic requiring more research. We tested a positive psychology wellbeing intervention imbedded in undergraduate psychology classes with three studies and 469 participants. Intervention outcomes across three years indicate improvements in wellbeing, positive affect, negative affect and clinical wellbeing categories. Comparisons with an active control indicated the intervention buffered against semester stress. Practice frequency had little effect on wellbeing, how..