The effectiveness of a web-based positive psychology intervention in enhancing college students' mental well-being

Liu, Kunyan Duan Yunfei Wang Yilin

During the global pandemic, lockdown policies aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 have been affecting all demographics. Although they may be continuing their studies online, university students may suffer severe mental consequences because of loneliness and social isolation. To help students improve their psychological well-being, we examined the effectiveness of a web-based positive psychology intervention (PPI) with 886 students who either took part in PPI sessions or received health reminders. Results show that the PPI sessions (vs. regular health reminders) significantly improved positive mood and mitigated negative emotions among the students. The positive effect of the intervention also remained consistent at both 3-and 6-month follow-ups. These findings indicate that PPI should be embraced at universities to boost college students' psychological state.