WHY STUDIES IN THE EFFECT OF PPIs SHOULD USE LIFE-SATISFACTION AS AN OUTCOME
Ruut Veenhoven
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands, Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization
Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 3389/fpsyg.2021.758623. November 2021
ABSTRACT
The effect of positive psychological interventions (PPI) is mostly assessed using self-report measures of positive mental health. These measures are problematic because 1) the content addressed is not too clear, 2) different scale assess different notions of positive mental health, which impedes comparability, 3) the concept of positive mental health involves objective capabilities which are not well measurable using subjective self-estimates and 4) the concept behind the measures denote presumed chances for adaptation to life rather than adaptation as such. Therefore. we should also measure the effect of PPIs using life-satisfaction, which is a) a clear-cut concept and as such tells what the intervention brings about, b) is well measurable using self-reports, since it is a subjective concept, c) allows better comparability across studies and d), indicates actual adaptation to life instead of presumed strengthening of chances for adaptation.
Keywords: positive mental health, positive psychological interventions, outcome measures
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