Effects of School-Based Strengths Interventions on the Mental Health of Japanese Adolescents

Abstract

  The present study examined effects of 2 school-based strengths interventions on junior high school students' mental health, as reflected in their life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. In Study 1, which had 128 participants, an intervention for promoting the recognition of and focus on one's own and others' strengths resulted in post-intervention improvements only in life satisfaction. Study 2, with 87 participants, showed that an intervention for promoting the use of one's own strengths in addition to recognizing and focusing on one's own and others' strengths resulted in post-intervention and 1-month follow-up improvements in life satisfaction and decreases in depressive symptoms. The association between changes in the strength variables (strengths knowledge, strengths use, focus on self- and other-strengths) and changes in the students' mental health was examined for the purpose of exploring important components of school-based strengths interventions. The results suggested that the changes observed from pre- to post-intervention in strengths knowledge and in focus on other-strengths were associated positively with the changes observed in life satisfaction from pre- to post-intervention, and that the changes in strengths use from pre- to post-intervention and 1-month follow-up were associated negatively with changes in depressive symptoms from pre- to post-intervention and also in a 1-month follow-up. These results suggest that strengths knowledge and focus on other-strengths may be important for improving life satisfaction, and that strengths use was important for decreasing depressive symptoms. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.