Implementation Study of "Building Resilience," Including Positive Psychology Interventions and Positive Emotion Regulation Training in Patients With Severe Mental Illness in an Adult Outpatient Psychiatric Mental Health Setting: An Exploratory Clinical Trial.
A brief 6-week group that mixes positive psychology with emotion-regulation skills lifts both symptoms and life quality for anxious adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Holmedal Byrne et al. (2024) ran a 6-week group called "Building Resilience." Adults with anxiety or mood disorders met once a week at an outpatient clinic.
Each session mixed positive psychology tools with emotion-regulation drills. The team tracked anxiety, depression, and quality of life before and after the program.
What they found
Two months later, most people felt calmer and happier. Anxiety and depression scores dropped, and quality-of-life ratings went up.
The open trial had no control group, but the gains were large enough to matter in daily life.
How this fits with other research
Oser et al. (2021) tested a similar blend of mindfulness and emotion work with heart patients. Both studies show brief ER groups can cut anxiety fast.
Spates et al. (2013) used a self-guided computer program for depression and saw the same positive slope. Karin’s live group adds social contact, but the size of benefit looks alike.
Chezan et al. (2019) ran a 5-week ER group for youth with ASD. They also saw better behavior, yet quality-of-life scores stayed flat. Karin’s adult group improved both symptoms and life ratings, hinting that positive-psychology extras may fill that gap.
Why it matters
If you run adult outpatient groups, you can copy this recipe: six short weeks, gratitude logs, savoring drills, and simple breathing hacks. No fancy gear needed. Track mood with a quick GAD-7 or PHQ-9 each month. The data say you’ll likely see faster relief than treatment-as-usual, and clients report feeling more hopeful about life, not just less anxious.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Deficits in positive emotion regulation skills may be an important factor in the development and maintenance of anxiety and mood disorders. A treatment, which includes strategies to build and strengthen positive emotion regulation skills has been provided to patients primarily diagnosed with an anxiety and or mood disorder in an adult mental health outpatient service setting. To study the effects on positive and negative emotion, emotion regulation skills, emotional disorder symptoms, quality of life, and wellbeing during a new developed treatment. An exploratory clinical trial was used to conduct a preliminary assessment of a novel intervention. The intervention was provided in a group format over a 6-week period and independent practice over an 8-week period. Outcome variables were assessed pre- and post-treatment and at a 2-month follow up. Life quality, subjective wellbeing ratings, depressive and anxiety symptoms improved at follow up. The data suggests that the intervention may have the potential to produce desired change in positive emotion regulation. Preliminary findings suggest the intervention can have beneficial effects. These findings are promising and support the possibility that disturbances in positive emotion regulation may be a generative target for treatment research.
Behavior modification, 2024 · doi:10.1177/01454455241269842