1 Introduction
1.1 Individual Strengths and Strengths Interventions
The above definition addresses three elements of strengths interventions: identification, development, and use of strengths. The first of these elements, strengths identification, is about uncovering an individual’s most dominant strengths by means of strengths questionnaires (e.g., Peterson and Seligman 2004), feedback from third people (cf. the reflected best self portrait; Roberts et al. 2005), individual reflections, or more open-ended approaches (Quinlan et al. 2012), typically resulting in a list of three to seven strengths (Peterson and Seligman 2004). The second element, strengths development, aims at motivating people to cultivate and refine their strengths. This can, for instance, be achieved by teaching participants to use their strengths wisely, depending on situational factors (Biswas-Diener et al. 2011). The third element of strengths interventions, strengths use, is meant to encourage individuals to use their most prominent strengths more often or in new ways (Seligman et al. 2005). Typically, participants of a strengths intervention are asked to make concrete action plans in which they specify how, how often, when, and in which situations they plan to use their strengths.A strengths intervention is a process designed to identify and develop strengths in an individual or group. Interventions encourage the individual to develop and use their strengths, whatever they may be. Their goal is to promote well-being or other desirable outcomes (e.g. academic efficacy) through this process. (Quinlan et al. 2012)
1.2 The Relationship Between Strengths Interventions and the General Well-Being of Employees
1.3 The Relationship Between Strengths Interventions and Work-Related Well-Being
1.4 The Mediating Role of Positive Affect in the Relationship Between Strengths Interventions and Well-Being
2 Method
2.1 Design and Procedure
2.2 The Strengths Intervention
2.3 Measures
2.3.1 Positive Affect
2.3.2 Psychological Capital
2.3.3 Satisfaction with Life
2.3.4 Work Engagement
2.3.5 Burnout
2.4 Sample
2.5 Data Analysis
3 Results
3.1 Preliminary Analysis and Descriptives
Variable | M | SD | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. | 10. | 11. | 12. | 13. | 14. | 15. | 16. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Groupa
| – | – | – | |||||||||||||||
Baseline measurement
| ||||||||||||||||||
2. Genderb
| – | – | −.15 | − | ||||||||||||||
3. Age | 42.33 | 8.89 | −.01 | −.16* | – | |||||||||||||
4. Educationc
| 4.18 | .74 | −.05 | .10 | −.04 | − | ||||||||||||
5. Positive affect t0 | 3.52 | .55 | −.03 | .00 | .02 | .04 | .85 | |||||||||||
6. Satisfaction with life t0 | 4.79 | 1.02 | −.01 | −.10 | .03 | .16* | .40** | .88 | ||||||||||
7. PsyCap t0 | 3.71 | .48 | −.04 | −.01 | .10 | .15 | .57** | .48** | .85 | |||||||||
8. Engagement t0 | 4.99 | 1.20 | −.01 | −.08 | .11 | .01 | .51** | .35** | .55** | .95 | ||||||||
9. Burnout t0 | 1.62 | .38 | −.01 | .01 | −.19* | −.14 | −.38** | −.30** | −.43** | −.35** | .94 | |||||||
Post-measurement
| ||||||||||||||||||
10. Positive affect t1 | 3.55 | .57 | .26** | .02 | −.05 | −.09 | .54** | .23** | .38** | .38** | −.17* | .86 | ||||||
11. PsyCap t1 | 3.80 | .48 | .06 | −.04 | .17* | .18* | .62** | .50** | .77** | .44** | −.44** | .45** | .86 | |||||
1-month follow-up
| ||||||||||||||||||
12. Positive affect t2 | 3.48 | .58 | .01 | −.14 | −.06 | .11 | .51** | .25** | .51** | .43** | −.27** | .51** | .47** | .90 | ||||
13. Satisfaction with life t2 | 4.94 | 1.03 | .07 | −.13 | −.04 | .15 | .40** | .68** | .50** | .44** | −.34** | .29** | .54** | .47** | .92 | |||
14. PsyCap t2 | 3.83 | .51 | .07 | −.13 | .01 | .18* | .53** | .45** | .79** | .54** | −.45** | .37** | .76** | .63** | .66** | .90 | ||
15. Engagement t2 | 4.96 | 1.14 | .06 | −.09 | .07 | .03 | .53** | .34** | .54** | .83** | −.31** | .41** | .49** | .52** | .51** | .60** | .95 | |
16. Burnout t2 | 1.56 | .33 | −.11 | .10 | −.25** | −.02 | −.43** | −.28** | −.42** | −.41** | .81** | −.31** | −.41** | −.27** | −.40** | −.47** | −.46** | .92 |
3.2 Main Analysis: ANOVA’s
3.3 Main Analysis: Regression Analyses
Positive affect (t1) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
B (SE) | β |
B (SE) | β | |
Step 1
| ||||
Gendera
| .03 (.09) | .02 | .08 (.09) | .06 |
Age | −.00 (.01) | −.07 | −.00 (.00) | −.06 |
Educationb
| −.09 (.05) | −.11 | −.08 (.05) | −.10 |
Positive affect (t0) | .57 (.07) | .55*** | .58 (.07) | .56*** |
Step 2
| ||||
Groupc
| .32 (.08) | .28*** | ||
R
2
= .31 | ΔR
2
= .08*** |
Satisfaction with life (t2) | PsyCap (t2) | Work engagement (t2) | Burnout (t2) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Step 1
| ||||||||||||
Gendera
| −.08 | −.07 | −.08 | −.15** | −.14* | −.14* | −.03 | −.02 | −.03 | .07 | .06 | .06 |
Age | −.07 | −.06 | −.06 | −.09#
| −.09#
| −.08 | −.03 | −.03 | −.02 | −.08 | −.08 | −.09#
|
Educationb
| .05 | .05 | .07 | .08 | .08 | .09 | .03 | .03 | .04 | .09#
| .08 | .07 |
Baseline (t0)c
| .67*** | .67*** | .63*** | .79*** | .79*** | .77*** | .83*** | .83*** | .79*** | .81*** | .81*** | .78*** |
Step 2
| ||||||||||||
Groupd
| .07 | .03 | .09 | .07 | .06 | .04 | −.09#
| −.05 | ||||
Step 3
| ||||||||||||
Positive affect (t1) | .15* | .06 | .10#
| −.16** | ||||||||
R
2
| .47 | .66 | .69 | .68 | ||||||||
ΔR
2
| .00 | .02** | .01 | .00 | .00 | .01#
| .01#
| .02* |