Comparing of the Effects of Lifestyle Changes Training and Positive Psychology Components on Students' Self-Efficacy, Outcome Expectations, and Mental Health

Understanding the development of knowledge and skills, motivation, and attitudes of students in the learning process is essential. A motivational process that can be transformed is self–efficacy, i.e., the beliefs of individuals about their ability to learn and perform at a certain level. Another component of the social cognitive model is outcome expectations; it is defined as an individual’s assessment and judgment of the extent to which a particular behavior will lead to certain outcomes. The role of self–efficacy and outcome expectations is crucial in confronting students with the challenges and pressures of the study period and as a result their mental health; thus, it is important to provide solutions to improve these individual–educational determinants. The present study aimed to compare the effects of lifestyle changes training and positive psychology components on students' self–efficacy, outcome expectations, and mental health.

 This was a quasi–experimental study with pretest–posttest and a control group design. The research population included the students of Tehran Research Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, in the academic year of 2020–2021. The study sample consisted of 60 volunteer and eligible students who were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (lifestyle changes training & positive psychology components training) and one control group (n=20/group). The inclusion criteria of the research were providing informed consent; not graduating for the next 6 months; no biopsychological illnesses requiring pharmacotherapy, and not regularly taking psychotropic drugs. The exclusion criteria of the study included simultaneous attendance at counseling and psychotherapy sessions other than research interventions, regular attendance at the sessions, and non–cooperation in completing the questionnaires. The research tool included the General Self–Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer and Jerusalem, 1995), the Student Outcome Expectation Scale (Landry, 2003), and General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg and Hiller, 1979). For the first experiment group, the lifestyle changes training (Van Pay, 2018) was provided in eight 90–minute sessions; for the second experiment group, the positive psychology components training (Rashid and Seligman, 2013) was held in eight 90–minute sessions; however, the controls received no intervention. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, & standard deviation) as well as inferential statistics, including Chi–square test, univariate Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS at the significance level of 0.05.

After controlling the pretest effects, the obtained results suggested a significant difference between the study groups in the posttest concerning self–efficacy (p<0.001), outcome expectations (p<0.001), and mental health (p<0.001). The difference between the groups of positive psychology components training and control (p=0.003), as well as the difference between the group of lifestyle changes training and control in self–efficacy (p<0.001), were significant. The difference between the experimental groups and the control group in outcome expectations (p<0.001) and mental health (p<0.001) was also significant. The differences between the treatment groups were also significant respecting self–efficacy (p<0.001), outcome expectations (p=0.014), and mental health (p=0.009).

 According to the present research findings, both provided interventions were effective in promoting students' mental health and improving their self–efficacy and outcome expectations; however, lifestyle changes training was more effective than positive psychology components training.