Templeton 2

This was a two-phase Randomized Control Trial focusing on long-term health outcomes and dissemination strategies for adolescent character strength interventions.

Phase 1 was a follow-up assessing how the intervention has improved adolescent mental health and interpersonal relationships, as well as school grades.

Phase 2 was a dissemination of three-character strength interventions (growth mindset, gratitude, and value affirmation) in Makueni, Kiambu, and Nairobi counties. The hypothesis was that the brevity and simplicity of character strength interventions will enable them to be effectively and cost-effectively scaled up to reach thousands of youths efficiently in real-world contexts. The interventional trial sought to assess whether the brief character strength intervention improved long-term health outcomes, which outcomes it improved, and whether it could be disseminated for maximum impact at scale. The trial was founded on the assertion that character strength skills could help adolescents deal with the long-term risk of adverse health and academic outcomes, including drug, tobacco and alcohol use; poor sleep, excessive stress, hospitalization; unplanned pregnancy; mental illness; and poor school performance over several years. This way, youths could continue to interact with the world in ways that led to more positive outcomes.