Application of A Classroom-Based Positive Psychology Education Course on Chinese Medical Students to Increase Their Psychological Well-Being: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background Anxiety and depression have been on rise in Chinese medical students due to the heavy academic pressure of medical practice and the deteriorating doctor-patient relationship in China. The psychological well-being of the Chinese medical students has become a critical focus of attention for the medical education community. Increasing evidence showed that positive psychology interventions can be effective in the enhancement of psychological well-being, and may help to prevent depressive symptoms in university students. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential effect of positive psychology education on improving the mental health of Chinese medical students. Methods An 8-week classroom-based positive psychology intervention workshop, which was set as a selective course embedded in the regular school curriculum, was performed at School of Medicine, South China University of Technology (SCUT), China. Undergraduate medical students of the institute at year-2 or year-3 academic study took part in this training course voluntarily. Self-report data on hope scale, life satisfaction scale, subjective happiness scale, as well as depression and anxiety scale were collected and analyzed at pre-course (n=61) and post-course (n=49) among the participants. The investigation was also validated in an independent cohort of students who enrolled in the course in the following year of the preliminary study. Results The analyses showed that the psychology well-being of the participants were improved after the intervention. Their mean scores on hope scale, life satisfaction scale and subjective happiness scale were significantly improved (P<0.05), while the symptom levels of depression and anxiety were significantly reduced (P<0.01). Similar trend was also observed in the validation cohort. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that positive psychology education holds promise for improving the psychological well-being among Chinese medical students. Further investigations in larger and well-controlled sample cohorts may yield more convincible and reliable results.