Evidence Based
A Lust for Life Schools Programme has been evaluated across an array of empirical research. Indeed, eight studies to-date have accrued evidence for the Programme with a host of research methodologies, ranging from randomised clinical trials to in-depth qualitative investigations of experiences engaging in the Programme. Support for the conceptual model underpinning the Schools Programme was provided by a cross-sectional study published in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science featuring 129 children from primary schools in Ireland (O’Connor et al., 2021). In line with the Programme’s ethos of promoting positive mental health by cultivating resilience through processes such as mindfulness, the study yielded empirical support for this pathway to positive mental health in Irish primary schools. The conceptual foundation supported by this publication provided the basis for four subsequent interventional trials.
A cluster randomised controlled trial published in the Journal of Positive Psychology & Wellbeing evaluated the effectiveness of the Schools Programme in a sample of 402 fifth and sixth class students (Grennan et al., 2025). Relative to the control group, children who received the Schools Programme evidenced improvements in wellbeing arising from the use of behavioural skills as well as an overall increase in the use of wellbeing skills. Fifth and sixth class students with languishing-to-moderate mental health who received the Schools Programme in a cluster randomised controlled trial published in Behaviour Research and Therapy also evidenced greater mindfulness than their peers in a control group (O’Connor et al., 2022). In addition, fifth and sixth class students (N = 470) in a cluster randomised controlled trial of the Schools Programme published in School Psychology International predominantly reported that the Programme was satisfactory (Clancy et al., 2024).
To support the evaluation of changes in state wellbeing among children who receive the Schools Programme, the Feeling Better Scale (FBS) was developed (McKenna et al., 2025). A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology & Wellbeing revealed that this measure had excellent internal reliability and good concurrent and construct validity. In accordance, a recent cluster randomised controlled trial (N = 325) found that third and fourth class students who received the Schools Programme evidenced improvements on the FBS total scale, behavioural skills subscale, and number of wellbeing skills used relative to the control group (O’Dowd et al., 2025).
Qualitative research has also elucidated predominantly positive experiences from student and parent samples who engaged in the Schools Programme. A longitudinal qualitative study published in the Journal of Research in Childhood Education illustrated perceptions of the Programme from 20 fifth and sixth class students with low levels of subjective wellbeing (Hoctor et al., 2023). Findings indicated that students enjoyed engaging in the Programme, with many reporting its helpfulness in promoting understanding of thoughts and feelings as well as learning new coping skills in a relatable, interactive and social manner. In line with these findings, a subsequent qualitative study of the views of 21 parents of students who had recently completed the Programme yielded primarily positive results (Listwan et al., 2024). Specifically, the Schools Programme was reported to have enhanced their parenting skills and cultivated their children’s wellbeing skills through psychoeducation and experiential practice of an array of psychological processes, including arousal reduction, problem solving and mindfulness. In conclusion, eight empirical research studies to-date have evaluated A Lust for Life Schools Programme. Future studies aim to advance this body of research by exploring teachers’ perceptions of delivering the Schools Programme and evaluating its effectiveness in promoting wellbeing in first and second class students.
Published research:
Grennan, S., O’Dowd, A., McKenna, N., O’Connor, M., Nearchou, F., Connaughton, L., Murphy, E, & Carr, A. (2025). The impact of a school-based positive psychology programme on state wellbeing in Irish school children: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 9(2), 1-25. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jppw/article/view/18976/11630
O’Dowd, A., McKenna, N., Grennan, S., O’Connor, M., Nearchou, F., Connaughton, L., Murphy, E, & Carr, A. (2025). The impact of a positive psychology intervention on state well-being in Irish school children: A cluster randomized control trial evaluating the A Lust for Life Schools program. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 9(2), 60-83. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jppw/article/view/19082
McKenna, N., O’Dowd, A., Grennan, S., Nearchou, F., Connaughton, L., Murphy, E, & Carr, A. (2025). Development and validation of the Feeling Better Scale (FBS). Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 9(2), 43-59. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jppw/article/view/18984
Listwan, M., Murphy, E., Connaughton, L., Carr, A., & O’Reilly, G. (2025). Parents’ perceptions of A Lust for Life Schools Programme. A school-based positive psychology intervention for primary school children.Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 9(2), 100-113. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jppw/article/view/19084
Hoctor, E., Murphy, E., Connaughton, L., O’Connor, M., McHugh, L., McCarron, H., … O’Reilly, G. (2023). Schoolchildren’s Experience of Engaging in A Lust for Life Schools Programme. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 37(2), 216–244: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02568543.2022.2134235?journalCode=ujrc20
O’Connor, M., O’Reilly, G., Murphy, E., Connaughton, L., Hoctor, E., & McHugh, L. (2021). Resilience mediates the cross-sectional relationship between mindfulness and positive mental health in early adolescence. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 21, 171-175. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212144721000673?via%3Dihub
