Clinical trial NCT03257527: Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement (ENHANCE) 2.0
Official title: Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement (ENHANCE) 2.0: A Well-Being Program
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Well-being
Keywords: Well-being
Comparative Clinical Trial
Positive Psychology Intervention
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Group Therapy
Happiness
Bibliotherapy
Lead sponsor: University of British Columbia
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Frank C. Diener Foundation
name: University of Virginia
name: University of Utah
First posted: 2017-08-22
Enrollment: 95
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 25
Maximum age (years): 75
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The study is designed to compare the efficacy of two programs intended to improve happiness and well-being among healthy, community adults between the ages of 25 and 75 years. Participants will complete either an in-person program (ENHANCE) or a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) self-help program over 3-months. The ENHANCE program will include 12-weekly sessions based on researched principles of happiness. Alternatively, the MBSR self-help guide will teach ways to replace stress-promoting habits. Participants will be asked to complete a series of measures at three points of the study: at the start of the study, the end of the study, and 3-months following the study.

Detailed description: In 2011, the United Nations defined happiness as a "fundamental human goal" and invited Member States to pursue measures that enhance the happiness of their citizens. The majority of people across the globe agree that happiness is an important goal. In accordance with this global goal to be happy, the psychological literature abounds with interventions to combat problems that may prevent people from being happy-from obesity to depression and physical pain. However, happiness is not simply the absence of problems. Yet, interventions to help people attain and maintain higher levels of happiness are rare. Accordingly, in a previous study, the investigators designed and evaluated the efficacy of a theoretically-grounded, evidence-based randomized controlled trial for enhancing happiness and well-being. In the present study, it is the goal to assess the efficacy of modifications made to the original program, and compare the program to a self-help comparison group. All participants in the study will complete weekly questionnaires, as well as the same battery of online assessments at baseline, the end of the study, and 3-months following the study. The investigators will be examining if changes seen from baseline to the end of the interventions are maintained through a maintenance intervention in both arms for 3 months following the primary intervention.

It is expect that participants actively completing the in-person ENHANCE program will report greater increase in their overall levels of happiness/well-being at the end of the 12-week program compared to participants in the MBSR self-help group. It is predicted that there will be a downstream effect on happiness for all participants' mental and physical health, cognitive function, social relationships, and other positive outcomes, but that this effect will be greater for participants in the active in-person ENHANCE group. The insights gained from this research could be used in future intervention research towards promoting health, achievement, citizenship, and better relationships.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* All participants in the study will include males and females between the ages of 25 and 75 years. Participants of all racial and ethnic backgrounds will be eligible to participate. Participants of all religious and spiritual orientations will be eligible to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participants will be screened for major psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9. Participants who are screened with a major mental illness (such as severe depression as determined by a cut-off score of 15 or greater on the PHQ-9) will be advised that this study is not designed as a treatment for mental illness (including severe depression), and will be given a list of the appropriate mental health services offered in their community (e.g., Kelowna Mental Health and Substance Use Services).

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change from Baseline Satisfaction With Life
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline in Positive Affect
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline in Negative Affect
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline in Meaning in Life
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline in Thriving
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change from Baseline in Physical Activity
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline in Perceived Social Support
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline in Relationship Satisfaction
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline to attention, concentration, reaction time, memory, processing speed, executive functioning and decision-making
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline in Implicit Theories of Well-Being
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from baseline to Empathy
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
Other outcomes:
measure: Change from Baseline Positive and Negative Memories Generated by Participants
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Peer Reports of Positive Behaviors
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Peer Reports of Satisfaction With Life
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Peer Reports of Positive Affect
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Peer Reports of Negative Affect
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Peer Reports of Negative Behaviors
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Healthy Behaviors
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Perceived Stress
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Depression
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Self-Esteem
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Psychological Need Satisfaction: Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Body Mass Index: BMI
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Blood Pressure
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Sleep Quality
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Change from Baseline Alertness
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
measure: Objective Change from Baseline in Sleep
timeFrame: Baseline, 3, 6 months
Locations:
city: Kelowna
country: Canada
facility: University of British Columbia Okanagan
state: British Columbia
Study officials:
References: