A randomized placebo-controlled trial of positive psychology interventions in Australia

In our study we attempted a partial replication of the study of Seligman, Steen, Park, and Peterson (2005) which had suggested that the web-based delivery of positive psychology exercises could, as the consequence of containing specific, powerful therapeutic ingredients, effect greater increases in happiness and greater reductions in depression than could a placebo control.Participants (n=295) were randomly allocated to one of four intervention groups referred to, in accordance with the terminology in Seligman et al. (2005) as 1: Using Signature Strengths; 2: Three Good Things; 3: Gratitude Visit; 4: Early Memories (placebo control).At the commencement of the study, participants provided basic demongraphic information (age, sex, education, income) in addition to completing a pretest on the Authentic Happiness Inventory (AHI) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Participants were asked to complete intervention-related activities during the week following the pretest. Futher measurements were then made on the AHI and CESD immediately after the intervention period ('posttest') and then 1 month after the posttest (day 38), 3 months after the posttest (day 98), and 6 months after the posttest (day 189). Participants were not able to to complete a follow-up questionnaire prior to the time that it was due but might have completed at either at the time that it was due, or later. We recorded the date and time at which follow-up questionnaires were completed.The dataset includes a code book (in PDF 1.5 and plain-text), two data files, a copy of the media-release that was used to announce the study, and a copy of all instructions given to participants. The file participant-info.csv contains basic demographic information about participants. The file ahi-cesd.csv contains scores for each item of the CES-D scale and each item of the AHI scale for all completed measurement occasions. Not all participants completed measurements on all occasions.Refer to the data article in Journal of Open Psychology Data at DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/jopd.35 for further details.