Open AccessSmartphone delivery of a hope intervention: Another way to flourish
Author(s) -
Douglas A. Daugherty,
Jason D. Runyan,
Timothy A. Steenbergh,
Betty Jane Fratzke,
Brian N. Fry,
Emma Westra
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0197930
Subject(s) - flourishing , psychological intervention , happiness , intervention (counseling) , mhealth , psychology , eudaimonia , mobile apps , applied psychology , positive psychology , well being , social psychology , computer science , psychotherapist , world wide web , philosophy , epistemology , psychiatry
Positive interventions have shown promise for fostering hedonic (happiness) and eudaimonic (flourishing) well-being. However, few studies have focused on positive interventions that target hope as a means of increasing well-being, and none have examined the use of smartphone app-based systems for delivering interventions in the moments and contexts of daily life—an approach called ecological momentary intervention (EMI). We conducted a quasi-experimental pilot study using a pretest and posttest design to examine the feasibility and potential impact of a mobile app-based hope EMI. Participants appeared to engage with the intervention and found the experience to be user-friendly, helpful, and enjoyable. Relative to the control group, those receiving the intervention demonstrated significantly greater increases in hope; however, there were no between-group differences in hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The authors recommend future research to examine the potential of EMI mobile apps to cultivate hope and promote flourishing.