Psychological resources program - an intervention to foster psychological resources : evaluation of results in the Brazilian population

Abstract

A quasi-experimental trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of the Psychological Resources Program, an intervention to foster psychological resources for adults, on self-reported psychological-resources-related measures. Participant’s satisfaction with the intervention and program attrition were also specific aims. The Psychological Resources Program, which claims to be a preventive tool, aims to improve psychological resources. It consists of 10 weekly group sections that each last approximately 120 min. Before delivering the program, the intervention manual was translated from the original in Spanish to Brazilian Portuguese and facilitators were trained. Twenty-seven undergraduate students completed the program at university and were evaluated before, after, and at a three-month follow-up. The results showed that (a) perceived mood state improved week-by-week, and (b) improvement in positive affect [PANAS], gratitude [GQ–6], optimism [LOT—R], resilience [RS], general mental health [GHQ–12], assertiveness [E3], and satisfaction with life [SWLS], and decreases in perceived stress [PSS-14] and negative affect [PANAS] (effect sizes from 0.44 to 0.75). These changes, although attenuated, were maintained at the follow-up (3 months after the end of the intervention). The participant satisfaction with the program was high. The attrition rate (35%) was within the range expected for the type of intervention and context. The results support that the program represents a potential tool for prevention and health promotion in the university context. Continued evaluation of the intervention effects are recommended.