Healthy Participants
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to determine the relevant 'ingredients' to make the best possible self (BPS) intervention most efficacious and test whether the BPS's efficacy can be enhanced by including mindfulness aspects.
Detailed description
The best possible self (BPS) intervention is a brief positive psychology intervention to increase a person's positive affect and optimism. The BPS has been used in different forms (writing vs. imagining/visualizing vs. writing + imagining/visualizing the best possible self). However, it remains unclear which 'ingredients' are necessary to let the BPS unfold its effects. This online study aims to determine the relevant 'ingredients' to make the best possible self (BPS) intervention most efficacious. Since mindfulness interventions have recently indicated promising effects on positive and negative affect, another goal of this study is to test whether the BPS's efficacy can be enhanced by including aspects of mindfulness.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALThinking, writing and imagination
All participants are asked to take some time to think and write about the respective intervention group's content. In some groups (after the writing exercise (approx. 15min)), participants are also asked to imagine that content or engage in a mindfulness activity or recall task for about 5 minutes.
Sponsors
Philipps University Marburg
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* fluent in the German language * access to a computer/tablet/smartphone with audio output/headphones
Exclusion criteria
* not willing to take part in an online-intervention (duration: 60 minutes) * no access to a computer/tablet/smartphone with audio output/headphones
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in emotions (PANAS) | Change from pre (baseline) to post scores (approx. 30 minutes later) | Change scores are calculated for positive and negative sum scores (post- minus pre-scores; pre-scores will be used as a covariate). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in state optimism ratings | Change from pre (baseline) to post scores (approx. 30 minutes later) | State Optimism measure (SOM), 7 items (each item 1(strongly disagree)-5(strongly agree)). Change scores are calculated for positive and negative sum scores (post- minus pre-scores; pre-scores will be used as a covariate). |
| Change in emotional responses to imagery of neutral, pleasant and aversive narrative scripts | Change from pre (baseline) to post scores (approx. 30 minutes later)] | Nine narrative imagery scripts are used. Scenes included three neutral, standard social threat and positive/reward events. All scripts were developed according to the recommendations of Lang (1979). Participants are asked to rate the vividness of imagery (1= not vivid at all, 9= very vivid), the wish to avoid imagery (1 = no wish to avoid , 9 = strong wish to avoid imagery), their experienced anxiety (1= no anxiety, 9=very strong anxiety), displeasure (1 = pleasant, 9 = unpleasant), and emotional arousal (1 = relaxed, 9 = aroused) during imagery on a 9-point rating scale. Emotional responses are averaged per category. |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed