How can parent well-being in Hong Kong be promoted: A multicomponent positive psychological intervention

Background: Being a parent is considered one of the most demanding and stressful undertakings of raising children, working full-time, and caring for a family. With countless parental responsibilities, parental depression, stress, and ill-being were frequently reported.

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a multi-component positive psychological intervention on promoting parent well-being in Hong Kong.

Method: Participants were young children’s parents (N = 120; Mage = 37.19 years, SD = 4.71, range = 24–53; female = 95.00%) who agreed to participate in the 1-month randomized control trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 50) and waitlist control group (n = 70). Intervention group participants received two online workshops and an evidence-based smartphone application that promoted four positive psychological skills: growth mindset, positive reappraisal, hope, and mindful parenting. Participants completed a questionnaire about positive psychological skills, psychological and subjective well-being at baseline and post-intervention follow-up.

Results: The results of the three multivariate regressions adjusting for participants’ gender and age revealed that the intervention significantly improved participants’ positive psychological skills (F(4, 109) = 3.76, p = .01), psychological (F(6, 105) = 3.24, p = .01) and subjective well-being (F(3, 110) = 2.95, p = .04).

Conclusion(s): Our findings provided preliminary evidence supporting parents’ positive psychological skills in promoting their psychological and subjective well-being. The combination of training workshops and smartphone applications appeared to be a promising approach to delivering positive psychological materials to parents. Copyright © 2023 ICBM.