Outcomes of a Character Strengths–Based Intervention on Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy of Psychiatrically Hospitalized Youths

Objective:Mental health treatment approaches based on character strengths can be used to complement the traditional focus on functional impairment. The study tested use of a character strengths–based intervention to enhance the self-esteem and self-efficacy of psychiatrically hospitalized youths.Methods:Eighty-one hospitalized adolescents were randomly assigned to intervention or comparison groups. The intervention used the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth to discover character strengths and incorporate them into coping skills. Self-efficacy and self-esteem were measured at baseline, postintervention, two weeks, and three months.Results:Self-esteem and self-efficacy initially increased in both groups, but only the intervention group showed sustained improvement. The intervention was associated with increased self-efficacy at two weeks and increased self-efficacy and self-esteem at three months.Conclusions:A brief, easily administered character strengths–based intervention may be an adjunctive tool in the treatment of psychiatrically hospitalized youths.