Effects of the positive Interpersonal and life orientation training (PILOT) program among elementary school students in Taiwan

•This study investigated the effect of the PILOT program on the multifaceted performance of elementary school students.•Students exposed to a high-level intervention demonstrated an increase in resilience, psychological flourishing, substance resistance self-efficacy, cognitive reappraisal, and a reduction in depressive symptoms and internet addiction tendency.•Students with low cognitive reappraisal and elevated depressive symptoms benefited the most from the intervention program. This study aimed to investigate the intervention effects of the Positive Interpersonal and Life Orientation Training (PILOT) program on various positive psychological outcomes across two levels of intervention exposure. Most life skill-based intervention programs have been proven to be effective in preventing substance use behaviors and mental illness. However, the effects of these programs on positive psychological competence still needs to be explored. Additionally, the influence of intervention exposure on effectiveness has rarely been considered in most studies. Eight hundred and sixty-eight elementary school students participated in the PILOT program. Analysis of covariance and PROCESS were conducted to investigate the effects of PILOT on the outcome indicators. The results revealed that students exposed to high-level PILOT reported higher levels of resilience, psychological flourishing, substance resistance self-efficacy, cognitive reappraisal, lower levels of depressive symptoms, and internet addiction tendency than students in low-level PILOT in the post-test. The findings indicate that students with a low level of cognitive reappraisal and a high level of depressive symptoms can benefit more from PILOT. The effects of PILOT and their implications in helping students encounter the COVID-19 pandemic in an East Asian context and the influence of fidelity are discussed.