Christina Tassi

The present study investigated the therapeutic factors that emerged during a group Positive Psychological Intervention (PPI) for sixth-grade students experiencing parental psychological economic hardship, aimed at enhancing their well-being, in schools in Greece. The sample consisted of 145 students ( M _age = 11.08 years, SD = 0.28). The participating students completed a self-report questionnaire at the end of each session, providing information about the therapeutic factors that arose during the intervention. The results highlighted the frequency of therapeutic factors, with self-understanding being the most frequently reported. Emotional therapeutic factors, such as acceptance, catharsis, and instillation of hope, were reported more often than cognitive or behavioral factors. These results underscore the importance of understanding therapeutic factors within group interventions and their potential to inform strategies for supporting the well-being of primary school students facing parental psychological and economic hardship. The study provides practical implications for designing interventions to address the needs of this population.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate members’ perceptions of the therapeutic factors during a group intervention that was designed to mitigate the adverse psychological effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the imposition of restrictive measures, their satisfaction with the online format of the intervention, and how these are associated with the intervention’s outcomes. The participants (N = 44, M_age = 31.93, SD = 8.09) were Greek adults who attended a 2-week, voluntary, online group intervention. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, 1 week before and 1 week after implementation, participants completed several questionnaires measuring their demographic characteristics, empathy, resilience, affectivity, feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety levels, and feelings of fear regarding the outbreak. One week after the intervention, they also completed two questionnaires evaluating the therapeutic factors and their satisfaction and impressions regarding telemental health counseling. Analyses showed that the most frequently cited therapeutic factor was guidance, followed by acceptance, self-disclosure, universality, and instillation of hope. Therapeutic factors of catharsis, self-disclosure, guidance, self-understanding, vicarious learning, and therapeutic alliance correlated with elements of empathy, resilience, loneliness, positive emotions, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and fear of the coronavirus. Satisfaction with the online format of the intervention was associated to universality, elements of empathy, and symptoms of depression. More specifically, member satisfaction was negatively correlated with improvement in personal distress and depression, an unexpected finding that may be attributed to the brief duration of the present intervention. The practical value of the results for the development and implementation of online psychological interventions during a crisis is discussed.

The current study investigated the effectiveness of an online Positive Psychology group intervention for police officers intending to mitigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to enhance their personal strengths and resilience. Participants were 95 Greek police officers, assigned to the intervention (n = 49) and the control (n = 45) group. All participants completed an online questionnaire at four time-points. The results indicated a significant increase in the intervention group’s empathy, resilience, and positive emotions, as well as a significant decrease in fear of the coronavirus, negative emotions, loneliness, depressive symptoms and anxiety emotions compared to the control group. Changes remained significant in the long-term. The intervention assisted police officers in developing their personal strengths in a difficult period, indicating that personal growth can be triggered even in adverse situations.

The current study investigated the effectiveness of a group on-line positive psychology intervention (OPPI) designed to mitigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures to control it. Study participants (N = 82, M_age = 33.07, SD = 9.55) were all Greek adults divided into an intervention (n = 44) and a control group (n = 38). The intervention group attended a voluntary, online, two-week, six-session (each 50 min), group intervention. The intervention aimed at enhancing participants’ personal strengths and resilience in order to cope more effectively with the psychological impact of social distancing (e.g., feelings of anxiety, sadness, fear, and/or loneliness). All participants completed an online questionnaire one week before the intervention’s implementation, which included scales measuring their: demographic characteristics, empathy, resilience, affectivity, feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety levels, and feelings of fear regarding the outbreak. Participants in both the intervention and control group completed the same measures the week following the intervention’s termination to examine its effects, and two weeks later to examine its long-term effectiveness. The intervention was found to be effective in alleviating the impact of the pandemic and in strengthening participants’ resilience. More specifically, the results showed significant decreases for the intervention group in all measures of psychosocial distress (anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear) and significant increases in empathy, resilience, and experience of positive emotions. The study’s implications for the development and implementation of online psychological interventions during a crisis are discussed.