Promoting well-being for young people in high-burden communities: Promising preliminary outcomes from a pilot study of a culturally-responsive positive psychology intervention

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Young people living in urban, high-burden communities are at particular risk to experience adversity that affects well-being, including exposure to community violence and barriers to accessing health-focused resources. To address these concerns, the current paper describes the development and evaluation of a pilot, 6-week positive psychology intervention (PPI) with fifteen Black, Hispanic, and Asian youth leaders attending an afterschool program in a high-burden NJ community. Results indicated positive changes in psychological well-being and health-focused practices at one program site (n = 8) and declines in health practices at the other (n = 7). Results also indicated initial site differences in youths’ interests and beliefs about well-being, which may have contributed to the different outcomes. Our findings highlight the potential of culturally-responsive PPIs and to promote positive mental health for minoritized youth in high-burden communities. They also urge researchers and practitioners to consider potential adverse effects of interventions, especially when programs are implemented in a universal way.