Internet- and Mobile-Based Interventions Rooted in Seligman’s PERMA Model: Scope, Availability and Potential
Method Stream: Literature Review
ECs Only 14 EC (standard, no or limited own data collection. Applicable in case of a clinical internship)
Description:
Internet- and mobile-based interventions (IMIs) have become increasingly popular and have demonstrated effectiveness for a range of mental disorders and psychological complaints. Similar to face-to-face psychological treatments, the digital field is largely dominated by cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Consequently, evidence for IMIs primarily reflects the effectiveness of internet-based CBT (iCBT).
However, CBT may not be suitable for every client. Over the past decades, alternative therapeutic approaches have emerged that extend beyond symptom reduction. These approaches aim to enhance functioning, adaptation, and well-being by fostering autonomy, meaning, identity, and more adaptive ways of relating to problems. Interventions in this tradition are commonly referred to as Positive Psychological Interventions (PPIs).
One of the most influential frameworks underlying PPIs is Seligman’s PERMA model, which conceptualizes well-being in terms of Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. More recently, the concept of character strengths has been identified as a core component that permeates all five PERMA-domains. Despite the growing body of digital CBT interventions, comparatively little attention has been paid to the development and evaluation of online interventions based on PERMA. A recent meta-analysis of fully automated digital PPIs promoting well-being found very limited evidence for interventions explicitly grounded in the PERMA-model (De Groot et al., 2023). As a result, little is known about their availability, scope, and empirical support.
This assignment examines the scope, availability, and potential of online interventions based on the PERMA model, examined in a randomized controlled trial. The project will be conducted in a group of students, each focusing on specific PERMA-components, for example:
- One student: Positive Emotions & Relationships
- One student: Engagement & Strengths
- One student: Accomplishment & Meaning
Possible research questions include:
- Which interventions within PERMA are most common?
- What is the scope and target population of these interventions?
- To what extent are they accessible for clinical populations?
- What is their empirical status? (A full quantitative meta-analysis is not required.)
Who are we looking for?
Mental health care minded and research-oriented students with an affinity for technological innovation, and for positive psychology. In other words, students who are ready to dive in the literature and who are eager to accept the challenge of providing a comprehensive account on the current state of art.