ENHANCE-II: An Abridged Intervention to Promote Subjective Well-Being

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Mental Health Interventions
• Wellbeing Research

Background:

• The 12-week Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement (ENHANCE) program effectively improves subjective wellbeing and reduces negative symptoms.
• A shorter intervention may better suit individuals with time constraints.
• This study evaluates a brief, 7-week version of the ENHANCE program, termed ENHANCE-II.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the efficacy of the abbreviated 7-week ENHANCE-II program.
• To assess improvements in life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depression.
• To examine the impact of adherence on intervention outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study design with 51 participants completing a self-study program.
• Psychological assessments were administered at baseline, posttest, and a 5-week follow-up.
• Multilevel modeling was used for data analysis, comparing ENHANCE-II to original ENHANCE data.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were observed in life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and depression.
• Observed effects were approximately half the strength of the original ENHANCE program, partly due to low adherence.
• Participants with higher adherence demonstrated substantially stronger positive effects, particularly in reducing negative symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The ENHANCE-II intervention shows promise as a beneficial brief program for enhancing wellbeing and reducing negative symptoms.
• Adherence is a critical factor influencing the effectiveness of the ENHANCE-II program.
• Further research with later assessment intervals is warranted to confirm long-term benefits.