Character Strengths Intervention Among Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youth
Condition: Psychiatric Hospitalization; Mental Disorders; Child/Adolescent Problems
MeSH terms: Mental Disorders
Study type: Interventional

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.
    

Intervention name(s): Identifying and Using Signature Strengths; Identifying and Writing Down Coping Skills; Treatment as Usual
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 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.; 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.; 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).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care