Thesis
A pilot randomized controlled trial of a positive psychology intervention for healthy youth: the positive emotions and pain study
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2017
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103058
Abstract
Several positive psychological factors are emerging as potentially powerful forces against the experience of pain in youth. The present study aimed to pilot an online variation of a kindness intervention, and assess its effects on positive affect, optimism, and pain outcomes associated with an acute pain task (cold pressor task; CPT) in an adolescent sample. Participants (aged 13- 18) were randomly assigned to a kindness condition, where they completed three kind acts--all in one day--twice within a week, or to an active control, where they reported three places they visited in the same manner. After the week-long intervention, participants were brought into the lab to complete the CPT. Pre- and post-intervention levels of optimism, affect, and pain catastrophizing were assessed, and pain intensity and pain tolerance were measured during the CPT, post-intervention. Adolescents in both conditions reported significantly lower levels of positive and negative affect across time, and no differences were found between groups in either affect or optimism. Kind acts and positive affect were associated with small, but non-significant, direct effects on lower pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, and higher pain tolerance. Optimism had a small, but not significant effect, on lower pain intensity and a significant direct effect on pain catastrophizing, but no mediating effects of positive affect or optimism were found on any pain outcomes. Recommendations are made for future study to assess the effects of kindness on positive emotions and pain experiences.
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Details
- Title
- A pilot randomized controlled trial of a positive psychology intervention for healthy youth
- Creators
- Sean Palmer Marquardt Rice
- Contributors
- Jessica L. Fales (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Psychology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525159501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis