Investigating the effectiveness of positive psychology on the meaning of life and depression of art university students

Studies have shown that students are among the most vulnerable people to the consequences of depression. On the other hand, depression can affect students' satisfaction and meaning in life by facilitating pessimistic and irrational thoughts about the future. Various studies have shown that the level of depression and the meaning of life of students can be adjusted by using psychological interventions.

The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions on the meaning of life and depression of art university students.

The current research design was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group. The statistical population of the present study was all undergraduate students of the University of Art in 2021. From this statistical population, 60 people were selected in the accessible way and were randomly assigned in two groups of 30 people (positive psychology intervention group) and control group. Quilliam educational package (2003) was used in the positive psychology educational intervention sessions, and the Beck depression scale, second edition (1996) and the Morgan and Farsides (2009) meaningfulness of life questionnaire were used to collect data. For data analysis, univariate covariance analysis and SPSS22 software were used.

The findings of the present study showed that positive psychology interventions were effective in increasing the meaning of life and reducing depression in male and female students (P<0.05).

According to the obtained findings, it is concluded that positive psychology education can help to increase the meaningfulness of students' lives while reducing the level of depression. Therefore, paying attention to positive psychology interventions can play an important role in improving the psychological and even spiritual dimensions of students by emphasizing their capabilities and increasing happiness.