Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Personal growth initiative, the active and intentional engagement in becoming a better person, allows people to more positively cope with life’s everyday challenges, be better problem solvers, and have more choices and tools available when working to change and improve themselves. There are no published accounts on ways to effectively increase PGI in regard to clinical samples. An intervention designed to increase PGI, Intentional Growth Training (IGT), demonstrated that PGI can be significantly increased over a 1-week period. IGT has been used only with college students needing to obtain course credit, and only effects over a 1-week period have been analyzed. This study examined if there was a significant increase in level of PGI and significant decrease in depression symptoms following IGT at 1-week, 2-weeks, and 4-weeks post-intervention. It was hypothesized that there would be evidence for statistical significance (H1 and H2), efficacy (H3 and H4), and clinical significance (H5 and H6) of IGT on level of PGI and depressive symptoms at each of the measured time points. A series of repeated measures ANOVAs, and comparisons of Reliable Change Indices revealed limited support for the hypotheses. Further research on the use of IGT with clinical populations is needed for support of the use of this intervention as an effective intervention in counseling. Implications for the research and suggested future directions are explored.
Author: Megan A. Thoen
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2280158421