Effectiveness of a character strengths intervention on emerging adults’ identity formation, self-doubt, and self-efficacy

Wong, Wen Pin (2025) Effectiveness of a character strengths intervention on emerging adults’ identity formation, self-doubt, and self-efficacy. Master dissertation/thesis, UTAR.

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Abstract

This study explored the impact of a single-session character strengths intervention (CSI) on improving identity formation and self-efficacy, as well as reducing self-doubt among Malaysian emerging adults attending tertiary education. A randomized active-controlled trial including pretest, posttest, and a 2-week follow-up was administered. A total of 133 undergraduate students, aged 18 to 25, were randomly allocated to either the CSI or a control group that attended a gatekeeper training for suicide prevention. Data from emerging adults and perceived adults were examined separately using a mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results revealed that CSI did not have a unique effect on improving emerging adults’ identity formation, self-efficacy, and self-doubt when compared to the control group. However, the study revealed incidental findings that highlighted the developmental differences between emerging adults and perceived adults. At pretest, emerging adults demonstrated significantly lower identity formation and self-efficacy and significantly higher self-doubt compared to perceived adults. These findings suggest that emerging adults might require more tailored, purpose-driven interventions to address their specific developmental needs. Despite the current results not being significant, this study revealed the developmental challenges faced by emerging adults, and highlighted the need for more support strategies to facilitate their identity development.

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