Developing the HERO within: Evaluation of a brief intervention for increasing Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in Australian female students during the final year of school in the first year of COVID-19
File version
Author(s)
Waters, Allison M
Farrell, Lara J
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract
Academic stress is linked to adolescent distress and perfectionism during the final years at school, with girls being at greater risk. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was an additional stressor that impacted student learning on a global scale. The present study examines the effectiveness of an intervention targeting Psychological Capital (PsyCap), comprising hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism (HERO) to increase these HERO resources and assess its impact on mental health symptoms and subjective wellbeing outcomes among a cohort of Year 12 students (n = 82, Mage = 17.09, SD = 0.28, 99% identifying as female) from a girls school during the first year of the pandemic. Primary outcomes of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and flourishing and secondary outcomes of HERO variables and perfectionism were examined. There were no significant changes in primary outcomes. Significant changes in efficacy, optimism, omnibus PsyCap (HERO combined) and perfectionism were found at post-intervention. Findings indicate the intervention targeting HERO constructs may be promising for developing HERO capabilities in youth and reducing common areas of concern for students (e.g., perfectionism). Future research directions addressing limitations are discussed.
Journal Title
Journal of Affective Disorders
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
324
Issue
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Health sciences
Psychology
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Clinical Neurology
Psychiatry
Neurosciences & Neurology
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Finch, J; Waters, AM; Farrell, LJ, Developing the HERO within: Evaluation of a brief intervention for increasing Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in Australian female students during the final year of school in the first year of COVID-19, Journal of Affective Disorders, 2023, 324, pp. 616-623