Enhancing Student Well-Being Through Brief Positive Psychology Interventions
Type of research: Quantitative empirical
Description:
University life can be demanding, and many students experience periods of heightened stress throughout their studies (Kelders et al., 2019). Academic pressure, performance expectations, and life transitions pose challenges to students’ well-being and, when prolonged, stress can have detrimental effects on mental health and academic functioning (Karyotaki et al., 2020).
Positive Psychology offers a strengths-based perspective that focuses on cultivating positive emotions, personal resources, and adaptive coping strategies rather than solely reducing symptoms (Seligman, 2011). This bachelor thesis project explores whether brief, low-threshold Positive Psychology interventions can already contribute to meaningful improvements in students’ well-being and stress experiences. Interventions such as gratitude exercises (for example, keeping a gratitude journal) or mindfulness-based activities (such as mindful walking) are easy to integrate into daily life, require only minimal time investment, and may nonetheless have meaningful effects.
A typical research question addressed within this project could be:
To what extent do brief Positive Psychology interventions influence students’ perceived stress level and well-being over time?
You will have the opportunity to design and conduct a small field study, including the selection of a mini-intervention, data collection at multiple time points, and basic data analysis. This project offers you hands-on research experience while addressing a topic that is directly relevant to your everyday life.
References
Karyotaki, E., Cuijpers, P., Albor, Y., Alonso, J., Auerbach, R. P., Bantjes, J., Bruffaerts, R., Ebert, D. D., Hasking, P., Kiekens, G., Lee, S., McLafferty, M., Mak, A., Mortier, P., 34 Sampson, N. A., Stein, D. J., Vilagut, G., & Kessler, R. C. (2020). Sources of Stress and Their Associations With Mental Disorders Among College Students: Results of the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Initiative. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1759. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01759
Kelders, S., Oberschmidt, K., Bohlmeijer, E. (2019). Student wellbeing: A cross-sectional survey of mental health of UT students. Retrieved January 07, 2026, from https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/172853563/Student_wellbeing_report_280 20 9_DEF.pdf
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Atria Books.