NCT02674932

Character Strengths Intervention Among Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youth

Assessment of a Character Strengths Intervention in Improving Treatment Outcomes Among Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youth

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 153 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Michigan · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 12 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Research has shown that identifying and using one's character strengths in new ways decreases depressive symptoms and increases happiness in adults in the general population. Recently, we found that a similar intervention increases the self-esteem and self-efficacy of children and adolescents being treated in an inpatient psychiatric unit. The purpose of this study is to better understand the effects that discovering one's character strengths and incorporating them into coping skills will have on treatment outcomes in patients admitted to a child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit.

Detailed description

The primary aim of this study is to investigate whether a character strengths-based intervention results in significant improvements in measures of depression, anxiety, resiliency, optimism, self-perception, and life-satisfaction of psychiatrically hospitalized youth up to three months following admission. Secondary aims are to: (1) examine participants' strengths profile to identify potential correlates between character strengths, psychiatric diagnoses and intervention effectiveness; and (2) determine whether patients who continue to incorporate their strengths into coping skills at follow-up assessments exhibit greater improvement over-time. Participants will be 210 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years admitted to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Program and will be randomized into one of the three groups. All participants will complete the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth) Survey on their second hospital day and subsequently receive the signature strengths intervention (experimental group), coping skills with memory aids comparison exercise (positive control group), or coping skills without memory aids (treatment-as-usual control group). Outcome measures will be completed by all participants at baseline (day 1 on unit), post-treatment (day 4 on unit), and 1- and 3-months following admission. The proposed research represents a change in paradigm, as we aim to specifically examine the therapeutic benefit of the positive psychology element of our intervention conducted in the pilot study among youth with severe mental illness.

Conditions

• Psychiatric Hospitalization
• Mental Disorders
• Child/Adolescent Problems

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Identifying and Using Signature Strengths	The purpose of the intervention is to identify and focus on one's morally valued strengths and utilize them (i.e. incorporate them into coping skills) to overcome challenges. The study team member and patient will discuss each top strength and ways to use them as coping skills. The patient will identify 2-4 coping mechanisms per strength, and will write his/her strengths and self-identified coping skills on index cards.
BEHAVIORAL	Identifying and Writing Down Coping Skills	The study team member and patient will discuss the importance of having coping skills to deal with stressful and difficult situations. The patient will then identify at least six coping skills and write them down on index cards.
BEHAVIORAL	Treatment as Usual	The study team member and patient will discuss the importance of having coping skills to deal with stressful and difficult situations. The patient will then identify coping skills that could be helpful (but will not write them down).

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-02-01
• Primary completion: 2017-12-01
• Completion: 2017-12-01
• First posted: 2016-02-05
• Last updated: 2019-09-03