The Effectiveness of Positive Psychology Group Training on Nurses’ Happiness: A Clinical Trial

Background Due to the nature of their profession, nurses play a critical role in promoting public health.Their level of happiness significantly impacts the quality of their work.Positive psychology interventions have proven to be effective tools for enhancing employee well-being, organizational success, and job performance.This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of group-based positive psychology training on nurses' happiness.Methods This quasi-experimental, non-randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2021 at Imam Reza Hospital Complex in Kermanshah, Iran.A total of 64 nurses who met the inclusion criteria were selected through simple random sampling and evenly assigned to intervention and control groups.The intervention group participated in seven weekly 120-minute sessions of group-based positive psychology counseling, delivered through both in-person and blended online formats (synchronous and asynchronous).Data were collected using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, completed by participants at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after, and one-month postintervention.Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16, employing independent t-tests, Pearson correlation, ANOVA, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference in happiness scores between the intervention and control groups before the intervention.However, the mean happiness scores in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group both immediately after the intervention (M = 62.70,SD = 4.66) and one month later (M = 59.46,SD = 5.07) (p 0.001). ConclusionThe findings indicate that positive psychology training effectively increases nurses' happiness.Therefore, implementing and institutionalizing programs based on positive psychology may serve as a valuable strategy for enhancing nurses' performance and improving the quality of patient care.