Impacts of a Church-Based Positive Psychological Intervention in Spanish-Speaking Hispanics/Latinos with Uncontrolled Hypertension: Results from the ¡Alegrate! Randomized Clinical Trial

The current study examined the intervention effects of a culturally tailored positive psychological intervention on the well-being profiles of Hispanics/Latinos with uncontrolled hypertension. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups (N = 96), either the ¡Alégrate! ("Get Happy!") positive psychological intervention arm (N = 51) or a wait-list control group (N = 45). The intervention consisted of eight weekly in-person sessions, facilitated by a licensed psychologist or social worker, aimed at improving positive affect and overall psychological well-being. Outcome measures of well-being included dispositional optimism, positive affect, life meaning and purpose, emotional vitality, and engagement in happiness-inducing behaviors. The analysis utilized independent two-sample t tests and intention-to-treat multivariable linear regression methods. There were no significant baseline differences in psychological well-being scores between the intervention and wait-list control groups. Half of the participants were female, with a mean age of 57.9 years, and 90.6% reported Mexican heritage. In regression analyses examining between-group differences, the ¡Alégrate! positive psychological intervention led to significant improvements in optimism (β = 1.23, p = 0.011) and engagement in happiness-inducing behavior (β = 14.98, p = 0.005) from baseline to post-intervention, while no such changes were seen in the wait-list control arm. Findings suggest that the strengths-based ¡Alégrate! positive psychological intervention effectively enhanced well-being measures in Hispanics/Latinos with uncontrolled hypertension, providing a promising approach to address mental health disparities in this underserved group. Future research should examine long-term impacts of the intervention in a larger and more heterogeneous sample of Hispanics/Latinos, considering factors such as acculturation, country of origin, and other culturally relevant variables.