The impact of a semester-long positive psychology course on high school students’ mental health and well-being

Abstract

There is an increasing need to provide mental health support for adolescents as they struggle to manage high levels of stress and anxiety and often lack the coping skills to navigate the challenges of high school. Supporting and guiding students with their mental health challenges has become an ongoing concern, as many students reported being overwhelmed by academics, the highest ranked stressor in this study. The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to examine the impact of a semester-long Positive Psychology course on high school students’ mental health and well-being. From 2022 to 2025, 490 students completed the Positive Psychology course and identified the interventions and strategies that most influenced their well-being during the semester and ones which made a lasting impact. Quantitative data were collected through surveys administered four times: at the beginning of the semester, the end of the quarter, the end of the semester, and through a follow-up survey in 2025 that was sent to prior students. Qualitative data included student reflections from final papers, a focus group, and individual interviews where students described the interventions that supported their well-being and reduced anxiety. A control group of 100 students who did not take the course was compared to their peers who had enrolled in Positive Psychology. Findings revealed that students who completed the Positive Psychology course reported decreases in anxiety and increased use of coping strategies compared to the control group. The course concepts demonstrating the most growth were mindfulness, gratitude, flow, PERMA, and learned optimism. The findings of this study suggest that integrating a Positive Psychology course into a high school curriculum may foster resilience, reduce anxiety, and enhance adolescents’ well-being through evidence-based interventions.