The present study examines the efficacy of Positive Psychotherapy (PPT) on psychological well-being, happiness, and satisfaction with life. We investigated people suffering from different kinds of depressive disorders, comparing it to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). PPT is an empirically validated intervention targeting positive resources and personal strengths. It aims at amplifying well-being while also ameliorating the impact of symptoms. In a controlled two-center-study, we randomly assigned 92 out-patient participants with a DSM-IV diagnosis of major depressive disorder and/or Dysthymia to 14 sessions of manualized PPT or CBT group therapy. We assessed outcomes related to well-being using the Flourishing Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Positive Psychotherapy Inventory (PPTI). The PPTI represents the five components of Seligman’s PERMA-model of flourishing, encompassing positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. We took measurements before and after the intervention, and at a 6-months follow-up. Moreover, we considered a list of moderators that may impact the efficacy of PPT. PPT resulted in significant improvements in all measures, and these improvements remained stable for up to 6 months. Using 2 × 2 mixed-effects models (T1 vs. T2), we found significant interactions for all three main scales and two out of the five PPTI subscales. These interactions depicted significantly better outcomes for PPT at post-treatment. Regarding the follow-up (T1 vs. T3), we did not find significant interactions, and thus, there were no differences between the two therapies. No demographics or characteristics of the treatments were significant moderators. Summarized, these findings provide support for the effectiveness of PPT in increasing happiness, well-being, and quality of life. We can confirm that PPT is an additional tool for the enhancement of positive mental health.

本研究探讨了积极心理治疗（PPT）对心理健康、幸福感和生活满意度的功效。我们调查了患有不同类型抑郁症的人，并将其与认知行为疗法 (CBT) 进行比较。 PPT 是一种经过经验验证的干预措施，针对积极资源和个人优势。它的目的是增强福祉，同时减轻症状的影响。在一项对照的两中心研究中，我们将 92 名经 DSM-IV 诊断为重度抑郁症和/或心境恶劣的门诊参与者随机分配到 14 次手动 PPT 或 CBT 团体治疗中。我们使用繁荣量表、生活满意度量表和积极心理治疗量表（PPTI）评估与幸福感相关的结果。 PPTI 代表了 Seligman 的 PERMA 蓬勃发展模型的五个组成部分，包括积极情绪、参与、积极关系、意义和成就。我们在干预前后以及 6 个月的随访中进行了测量。此外，我们还考虑了可能影响 PPT 效果的主持人列表。 PPT 使所有指标都得到了显着改善，并且这些改善在长达 6 个月的时间内保持稳定。使用 2 × 2 混合效应模型（T1 与 T2），我们发现所有三个主要量表以及五个 PPTI 子量表中的两个都存在显着的交互作用。这些相互作用表明 PPT 在治疗后的效果明显更好。关于随访（T1 与 T3），我们没有发现显着的相互作用，因此两种疗法之间没有差异。治疗的人口统计或特征都不是显着的调节因素。 总而言之，这些发现为 PPT 在提高幸福感、幸福感和生活质量方面的有效性提供了支持。我们可以确认 PPT 是增强积极心理健康的额外工具。