Happiness in the General Population Clinical Trial
Official title:
Happiness in Flanders: A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Study
This study aims to assess the effects of two different types of interventions aimed at increasing happiness in the Flemish general population as compared to individuals that receive no intervention.
This randomized trial has two aims:
1. First, it investigates the efficacy of two different happiness interventions in
increasing feelings of happiness in the Flemish general population using a wait-list
controlled design.
2. Second, this study aims to identify predictors of response in both interventions ("what
works for whom?")
Methods
Design and procedure
- Participants will be contacted through social media and directed to a website that is
specifically designed for this study.
- All participants who register for the study first will electronically sign an informed
consent and will be asked to complete a brief battery of questionnaires online (base
line measures) before randomization.
- Participants then are assigned randomly using a block-randomized design to one of the
three conditions using a computerized algorithm:
1. a condition in which daily small and concrete happiness tips are sent to
participants during one month via email (n=400)
2. a condition in which weekly more in-depth happiness tips with a (doing and
experiencing) task are given during one month via email (n=400)
3. a wait-list condition (1 month); these participants will be subsequently (after
the end of the 4-week intervention) randomized to condition (a) or (b) (n=400)
using a block-randomized design.
- All participants will be assessed weekly during the intervention (see below) and
followed-up 6 months after the end of the study.
Measures
Participants will complete a detailed demographic questionnaire.
Primary outcome measures:
- Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999)
- Steen Happiness Inventory (SHI; Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005)
Secondary outcome measures
- Positive and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988)
- Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001)
- Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS; Tennant et al., 2007)
- Brief Symptom Inventory (Korte KlachtenLijst; KKL; Lange, & Appelo, 2007)
Predictors of outcome
- Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ; Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006)
- Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; Blatt, D'Afflitti, & Quinlan, 1976)
- Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R, Fraley, Waller, & Brennan, 2000)
- Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness (KIMS; Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004)
- Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS; Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994)
Data analyses
Repeated measures Anova and multilevel modeling will be used to assess differences between
the three conditions in primary and secondary outcomes at the end of the intervention and at
follow-up. Regression analyses and growth curve modeling will be used to examine the effects
of the predictors on primary and secondary outcomes.
;
Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment