Another Slice Of Happiness?

Background

This preliminary report is about the social and psychological effects of the A Slice of Happiness (ASOH) programme. So far, a total of 99 respondents of the ASOH intervention have enrolled in the research and answered a variety of questions about wellbeing, anxiety, depression, somatization and prosocial and antisocial behavior (dependent variables) and innate health, resilience and social inclusion (mediating variables). While it is still early in the research, 21 could be matched with the questionnaire they had filled out previously and we were able to run a statistical analysis (generalized estimating equations). This analysis allows us to include missing data so we can extrapolate from the current information about what direction the respondents are going in. For example, respondents are reporting increased levels of wellbeing, innate health, resilience, social inclusion and less depression, anxiety, and somewhat less somatization and somewhat more prosocial behaviour after the intervention. The seeds of this study began in 2019 when Caroline Powell approached our research team and asked us to evaluate the ASOH program. After initial ethics approval, and investigations, both of our groups had to restructure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fortunately, Caroline has proven to be a resilient and dynamic partner, during the pandemic she pivoted from all in-person meetings to a complete online intervention. During that restructuring period, our research team was able to build a new partnership with Dr. Geraldine Brown at Coventry University. With Geraldine’s assistance, we were able to restructure the research and apply for new ethics approval! As researchers, we like to periodically evaluate our research process to ensure respondents have access, data is relevant, and any emerging problems can be addressed early on. Besides collecting information to help us do our job, we also like to share current outcomes with our partner organizations. For that reason, this report is a simplified version of a very technical description, if you would like to see the full statistical analysis, please send me an email request. What you hold in your hands now (perhaps metaphorically) is a description of what we have discovered during the last 6-months about the social and psychological effects— so far—among vulnerable adults in home insecure communities and job centre referrals who enrolled in the A Slice of Happiness online program out of Hertfordshire, England.

OUR GRATITUDE

While we could not do this research without partners like Caroline Powell and Geraldine Brown, we also could not do this research without the respondents. We are so grateful to the home-insecure volunteers who have willingly shared their experiences with us. Nothing can be improved, shared, or transformed without you! Thank you! We couldn’t research this program without the approval and support of the people who facilitate ASOH—special appreciation to Caroline Powell, Liliana Bellini, Susan Marmot, and Ian Shaw for allowing our team to research their program.