IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i15p5530-d392526.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

State of Mind Ireland-Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Evaluation of a Positive Mental Health Intervention

Author

Listed:
  • Niamh O’Brien

    (Sports Studies and Physical Education, School of Education, University College Cork, T12 YN60 Cork, Ireland)

  • Martin Lawlor

    (Sports Studies and Physical Education, School of Education, University College Cork, T12 YN60 Cork, Ireland
    Rest in Peace.)

  • Fiona Chambers

    (Sports Studies and Physical Education, School of Education, University College Cork, T12 YN60 Cork, Ireland)

  • Wesley O’Brien

    (Sports Studies and Physical Education, School of Education, University College Cork, T12 YN60 Cork, Ireland)

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluates the impact of the State of Mind Ireland-Higher Education (SOMI-HE) Mental Fitness intervention on student wellbeing, resilience, and physical activity (PA) participation. Design: A mixed-methods research design, comprising of a self-report questionnaire, and semi-structured focus group interviews at pre, post and follow-up phases were employed. Participants were a sample of 134 higher education students (29% male: 71% female; mean age range 18 to 25 years old). The quantitative outcome measures of wellbeing, resilience and PA data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0, (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) with appropriate statistical analysis. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis to capture the long-term outcomes and impact of the intervention. Results: The results indicate a significant intervention effect on participants’ wellbeing (t (120) = −4.27, p < 0.001), PA levels (t (126) = 3.91, p < 0.001) and motivational readiness for exercise change (χ2 (1, n = 131) = 6.9, p < 0.009 (2–sided). Qualitative findings suggest a sustained long-term increase in PA and resilience skills for positive mental health, and reduced stigma and barriers to positive mental health. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the SOMI-HE evidence-based intervention, and beneficial outcomes of a salutary approach to higher education student mental health.

Suggested Citation

  • Niamh O’Brien & Martin Lawlor & Fiona Chambers & Wesley O’Brien, 2020. "State of Mind Ireland-Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Evaluation of a Positive Mental Health Intervention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-23, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5530-:d:392526
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5530/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/15/5530/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthew Y. W. Kwan & Jeffrey D. Graham & Chloe Bedard & Emily Bremer & Cierra Healey & John Cairney, 2019. "Examining the Effectiveness of a Pilot Physical Literacy–Based Intervention Targeting First-Year University Students: The PLUS Program," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(2), pages 21582440198, May.
    2. Keyes, C.L.M. & Simoes, E.J., 2012. "To flourish or not: Positive mental health and all-cause mortality," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(11), pages 2164-2172.
    3. Mariana-Daniela González-Zamar & Luis Ortiz Jiménez & Adoración Sánchez Ayala & Emilio Abad-Segura, 2020. "The Impact of the University Classroom on Managing the Socio-Educational Well-being: A Global Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-27, February.
    4. Anat Shoshani & Sarit Steinmetz, 2014. "Positive Psychology at School: A School-Based Intervention to Promote Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 15(6), pages 1289-1311, December.
    5. Wobbe P. Zijlstra & L. Andries van der Ark & Klaas Sijtsma, 2011. "Outliers in Questionnaire Data," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 36(2), pages 186-212, April.
    6. Andrew MacLeod & Emma Coates & Jacquie Hetherton, 2008. "Increasing well-being through teaching goal-setting and planning skills: results of a brief intervention," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 185-196, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cynthia Vincent & Émilie Tremblay-Wragg & Isabelle Plante, 2023. "Effects of a Participation in a Structured Writing Retreat on Doctoral Mental Health: An Experimental and Comprehensive Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(20), pages 1-20, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Barbara L Fredrickson & Karen M Grewen & Sara B Algoe & Ann M Firestine & Jesusa M G Arevalo & Jeffrey Ma & Steve W Cole, 2015. "Psychological Well-Being and the Human Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Alan C. Logan & Susan H. Berman & Richard B. Scott & Brian M. Berman & Susan L. Prescott, 2021. "Wise Ancestors, Good Ancestors: Why Mindfulness Matters in the Promotion of Planetary Health," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, October.
    3. Shiri Lavy, 2020. "A Review of Character Strengths Interventions in Twenty-First-Century Schools: their Importance and How they can be Fostered," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 573-596, April.
    4. S. Balzarotti & F. Biassoni & D. Villani & A. Prunas & P. Velotti, 2016. "Individual Differences in Cognitive Emotion Regulation: Implications for Subjective and Psychological Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 125-143, February.
    5. Matthew Y. W. Kwan & Jeffrey D. Graham & Cierra Healey & Natalie Paolucci & Denver M. Brown, 2020. "Stopping the Drop: Examining the Impact of a Pilot Physical Literacy-Based Intervention Program on Physical Activity Behaviours and Fitness during the Transition into University," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-12, August.
    6. Eloy López-Meneses & Esteban Vázquez-Cano & Mariana-Daniela González-Zamar & Emilio Abad-Segura, 2020. "Socioeconomic Effects in Cyberbullying: Global Research Trends in the Educational Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-31, June.
    7. Jennifer S. Mascaro & Amanda Wallace & Brooke Hyman & Carla Haack & Cherie C. Hill & Miranda A. Moore & Maha B. Lund & Eric J. Nehl & Sharon H. Bergquist & Steve W. Cole, 2022. "Flourishing in Healthcare Trainees: Psychological Well-Being and the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-18, February.
    8. Vincenza Capone & Mohsen Joshanloo & Miriam Sang-Ah Park, 2022. "Job Satisfaction Mediates the Relationship between Psychosocial and Organization Factors and Mental Well-Being in Schoolteachers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    9. L. Lambert & H.-A. Passmore & N. Scull & I. Al Sabah & R. Hussain, 2019. "Wellbeing Matters in Kuwait: The Alnowair’s Bareec Education Initiative," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 143(2), pages 741-763, June.
    10. Fabiana Monteiro & Marco Pereira & Maria Cristina Canavarro & Ana Fonseca, 2020. "Be a Mom ’s Efficacy in Enhancing Positive Mental Health among Postpartum Women Presenting Low Risk for Postpartum Depression: Results from a Pilot Randomized Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-19, June.
    11. Claudio Barbaranelli & Marinella Paciello & Valentina Biagioli & Roberta Fida & Carlo Tramontano, 2019. "Positivity and Behaviour: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy in Organisational and Educational Settings," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 707-727, March.
    12. Olsson, Lars E. & Friman, Margareta & Pareigis, Jörg & Edvardsson, Bo, 2012. "Measuring service experience: Applying the satisfaction with travel scale in public transport," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 413-418.
    13. José Manuel Otero-López & María José Santiago & María Cristina Castro, 2021. "Personal Projects’ Appraisals and Compulsive Buying among University Students: Evidence from Galicia, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-14, December.
    14. Tidarat Luangrungruang & Urachart Kokaew, 2022. "E-Learning Model to Identify the Learning Styles of Hearing-Impaired Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    15. Peter Holler & Johannes Jaunig & Othmar Moser & Silvia Tuttner & Helmut Simi & Dietmar Wallner & Frank Michael Amort & Mireille van Poppel, 2021. "Primary Care and Physical Literacy: A Non-Randomized Controlled Pilot Study to Combat the High Prevalence of Physically Inactive Adults in Austria," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-17, August.
    16. Víctor Meseguer-Sánchez & Emilio Abad-Segura & Luis Jesús Belmonte-Ureña & Valentín Molina-Moreno, 2020. "Examining the Research Evolution on the Socio-Economic and Environmental Dimensions on University Social Responsibility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-30, July.
    17. Chen, Ying & Kubzansky, Laura D. & VanderWeele, Tyler J., 2019. "Parental warmth and flourishing in mid-life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 65-72.
    18. Nathaniel W. Anderson & Anna J. Markowitz & Daniel Eisenberg & Neal Halfon & Kristin Anderson Moore & Frederick J. Zimmerman, 2022. "The Child and Adolescent Thriving Index 1.0: Developing a Measure of the Outcome Indicators of Well-Being for Population Health Assessment," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(6), pages 2015-2042, December.
    19. Block, Eryn Piper & Wong, Mitchell David & Kataoka, Sheryl Harumi & Zimmerman, Frederick J., 2022. "A symphony within: Frequent participation in performing arts predicts higher positive mental health in young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    20. Carol Graham & Sergio Pinto, 2019. "Unequal hopes and lives in the USA: optimism, race, place, and premature mortality," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 665-733, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:15:p:5530-:d:392526. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.