The Effectiveness of Positive Thinking Training on Mental Toughness and Social Well-being in Derelict Adolescents

Mental toughness and social well-being are supportive characteristics that help adolescents (especially derelict ones) cope effectively with environmental challenges. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of positive thinking training on mental toughness and social well-being in derelict adolescents. The research had a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study’s statistical population consisted of all derelict adolescents aged 13 to 18 years under the auspices of the Welfare Center of Karaj, Iran, in the second six months of 2020. By accessible sampling method, 30 people were selected and randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups (15 people in each group). The experimental group received a Rashid (2009) Positive Intervention Package in 14 sessions for seven weeks, two 60-minutes sessions per week. The control group did not receive any intervention during this period. Research data were collected using the Mental Toughness Questionnaire by Clough et al. and the Social Well-being questionnaire (KSWBQ) by Keyes. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to test the research hypotheses. The results indicated that positivity education increased the mental toughness and social well-being in derelict adolescents. Accordingly, the findings suggest that supportive institutions use positivity thinking training as an effective intervention to increase the positive virtues such as mental toughness and social well-being in derelict adolescents.