Background: Positive psychology school interventions (PPIs) intended to strengthen children’s wellbeing, have shown to be more efficient when implemented over longer periods of time and when important adults in the direct environment of children are involved.
Hypothesis: Our aim was to strengthen the wellbeing of the teachers and school staff, decrease levels of experienced stress, and consequently increase the wellbeing of future generations of children. We hypothesized an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative emotions in the participating school staff after the intervention.
Sample characteristics and sample size: The study involved teachers and school staff (N=245) working with students from grades 1-9 in Finnish schools with a total of 144 participating in our wellbeing lessons.
Design: The study was designed as a clustered RCT. Data of the participants’ affect were collected using an Experience Sampling Method (ESM, 8 beeps/day for six consecutive days) and with web-based questionnaires, both performed at baseline and post-intervention and the questionnaires also performed at a 6-month follow-up.
Results: Results from the questionnaires showed an increase in the intervention group’s PA. The daily PA and NA collected with ESM showed an increase in PA over time in terms of daily interest and engagement as well as a decrease in NA in regard to stress within the intervention group compared to an increase in the control group. This indicate that the intervention had a buffering effect on stress. Stress and loneliness decreased when teachers and school staff where in the company of students.
Scientific contribution: The results of the Flourishing schools program shows how measures of daily life experiences can be used to increase the ecological validity of assessments and that wellbeing in the form of positive and negative affect efficiently can be changed through implementation of PPIs such as the Flourishing school program.