Effect of Lyubomirsky Happiness Training Program on Life Satisfaction, Positive & Negative Emotions, and Optimism in Burn Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Various psychological issues have been reported among burn victims, such as acute stress disorder, body image dissatisfaction, anxiety, life dissatisfaction, and the prevalence of negative emotions, sleep disturbances, and nightmares. Objectives: The present study investigates the impacts of Lyubomirsky happiness training on life satisfaction, positive and negative emotions, and optimism in burn patients. Methods: This is a randomized controlled clinical trial featuring pre-test/post-test phases, including a control group. The population included burn patients in Isfahan city. Forty patients were chosen using convenience sampling and were randomly grouped into two experimental (n = 20) and control groups (n = 20). The inclusion criteria were having burn severity ranging from 10% to 60%, holding at least a high school diploma, and being within the age range of 17 to 58 years, with an average age of the participants being 32.78. The Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, Optimism/Pessimism Questionnaire, and Positive and Negative Emotions Questionnaire were used to collect the data. The experimental group underwent the Lyubomirsky happiness training program for six sessions, while the control group received the routine program. Independent samples t-test, one way ANCOVA, and paired samples t-test were utilized to analyze the data. Results: Findings showed that there was no significant difference between the control and intervention groups in terms of their age level (P = 0.276), sex (P = 0.507), and marital status (P = 0.109). There was a significant difference between the control and intervention groups with regard to their burn percentage grade (P = 0.019). The results revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean scores of life satisfaction (control = 17.40 ± 7.79, intervention = 19.95 ± 6.72, P = 0.003), positive emotions (control = 24.40 ± 4.26, intervention = 31.30 ± 6.87, P = 0.001), negative emotions (control = 27.85 ± 6.75, intervention = 19.40 ± 5.87, P = 0.001), and optimism (control = 12.35 ± 4.42, intervention = 16.85 ± 2.78, P = 0.001) after the intervention between the control and intervention groups. Conclusions: Participating in the Lyubomirsky happiness program can substantially boost life satisfaction, optimism, and positive emotions, as well as reduce negative emotions.