TY - JOUR

T1 - Cost-effectiveness of online positive psychology

T2 - Randomized controlled trial

AU - Bolier, Linda

AU - Majo, Cristina

AU - Smit, Filip

AU - Westerhof, Gerben J.

AU - Haverman, Merel

AU - Walburg, Jan A.

AU - Riper, Heleen

AU - Bohlmeijer, Ernst

PY - 2014/9

Y1 - 2014/9

N2 - As yet, no evidence is available about the cost-effectiveness of positive psychological interventions. When offered via the Internet, these interventions may be particularly cost-effective, because they are highly scalable and do not rely on scant resources such as therapists' time. Alongside a randomized controlled trial of an online positive psychological intervention, a health-economic evaluation was conducted. Mild to moderately depressed adults seeking self-help and recruited in the general population were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 143) and a waitlisted usual care group (n = 141). Improved clinical outcomes were achieved in the intervention group (at least for depression) at higher costs. When outliers (the top 2.5%, n = 5 in intervention group, n = 2 in control group) were removed, cost-effectiveness was increased considerably. For positive psychology, economic evaluations may be a means to nudge policy decision-makers towards placing positive psychological interventions on the health agenda.

AB - As yet, no evidence is available about the cost-effectiveness of positive psychological interventions. When offered via the Internet, these interventions may be particularly cost-effective, because they are highly scalable and do not rely on scant resources such as therapists' time. Alongside a randomized controlled trial of an online positive psychological intervention, a health-economic evaluation was conducted. Mild to moderately depressed adults seeking self-help and recruited in the general population were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 143) and a waitlisted usual care group (n = 141). Improved clinical outcomes were achieved in the intervention group (at least for depression) at higher costs. When outliers (the top 2.5%, n = 5 in intervention group, n = 2 in control group) were removed, cost-effectiveness was increased considerably. For positive psychology, economic evaluations may be a means to nudge policy decision-makers towards placing positive psychological interventions on the health agenda.

KW - Health sciences

KW - cost-effectiveness

KW - Depression

KW - economic evaluation

KW - positive psychology

KW - Randomized controlled trial

KW - Well-being

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84902850443&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/17439760.2014.910829

DO - 10.1080/17439760.2014.910829

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 9

SP - 460

EP - 471

JO - Journal of Positive Psychology

JF - Journal of Positive Psychology

SN - 1743-9760

IS - 5

ER -