Effect of positive psychology intervention on emotional well-being of children with specific learning disability in India

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) on Emotional Well-being (EWB) of school going children with Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in Telangana, India. Methodology: In a pre-test post-test one group design, 75 (61 boys and 14 girls) children with SLD from 3 schools, age ranging between 8-12 years (class 3-7); fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were administered the intervention. Tools used include, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan Screening Check List, Malin’s Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC), NIMHANS Index for SLD, ADHD rating scale, Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C), Gratitude Adjective Checklist (GAC), Children & Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) and Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ). The multicomponent Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) involving gratitude, mindfulness and attributional style was devised into three segments focused on the past, present and future aspects of EWB. The class wise groups were created. Each group received 12 weekly sessions of group intervention. Teachers’ and students’ feedback on effectiveness of intervention was obtained. Data analysis was done by using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS Version 20.0). Wilcoxon sign rank test was calculated to indicate the difference between pre, post and follow-up scores. Results: The result of the study revealed that there was a significant improvement in the level of EWB in terms of improved life satisfaction and positive affect, and decreased negative affect of children with SLD after PPI. The effect was also maintained after 6 months follow-up study. Conclusion: The findings from the current study support this multi-component PPI as an evidence-based method for making long-lasting improvements in emotional well-being of children with SLD. Introducing positive psychology intervention programs in schools would also be beneficial for other children with and without specific needs.