3 - (SYM 12) Exploring Relationships Between Character Virtues, Positive Affect and Flourishing During Treatment with a Digital Version of the Unified Protocol (iUP)

“Flourishing” means to grow or prosper (VanderWeele et al., 2019), and refers to a holistic sense of well-being, integrating virtues such as humility, forgiveness, and gratitude into a “good life” (Wong, 2011). While most psychotherapies focus on decreasing negative affect, arguably, the upregulation of positive affect (PA) is essential for engagement in virtuous functioning. This study sought to determine whether: (1) virtues and PA increased over time during treatment with the iUP, and (2) whether higher levels of PA and/or virtues were associated with flourishing following treatment. Measures included the Flourishing Index (FI; Vanderweele et al; 2019), meaning and character subscales, Positive and Negative Affect Scale – Expanded Form (Watson & Clark, 1994), Gratitude Questionnaire (McCullogh et al., 2002), General Humility Scale (Hill et al., 2015), and Trait Forgiveness Scale (Berry et al., 2005), administered at baseline and weeks 4, 8 and 12. 

We conducted a series of two-way mixed ANOVAs. There was no significant interaction between condition (iUP or iUP+) and time on PA, virtues or flourishing. The main effect of time showed a statistically significant difference in mean flourishing at the different time points, F(3,33) = 4.38, p= .01, partial η2 = .28; therefore a moderate proportion of variance (increase) in flourishing can be explained by time. No other main effects were statistically significant. 

Then, we conducted a series of linear regressions based on scores at week 12. Higher PA was associated with higher character flourishing (R2 = 0.44, F(1, 45) = 10.37, b= 0.18, p= <.002), and higher meaning flourishing (R2 = 0.57, F(1, 45) = 20.62, b= 0.31, p= <.001). Higher gratitude was associated with higher character flourishing (R2 = 0.22, F(1, 45) = 12.56, b= 0.24,  p= <.001), and higher meaning flourishing (R2 = 0.62, F(1, 45) = 27.635, b= 0.42, p= <.001). Higher forgiveness was associated with higher meaning flourishing (R2 = 0.33, F(1, 45) = 5.29, b= 0.18, p= .026). There were no significant associations between humility and flourishing post treatment. 

Preliminary results indicate that flourishing significantly increased over time during treatment with the iUP, but PA and virtues did not. Further, higher scores on PA and some virtue measures were associated with higher flourishing following treatment. Analyses with the complete sample (N = 120) will consider interactions between affect and virtue variables, and whether change in PA mediates relationships between virtues and flourishing. Implications for treatment are discussed.