Effects of an Online Growth Mindset Single-Session Intervention on Hopelessness, Self-Hate, and Perception of Control in Arabic Adolescents

Evidence based single session interventions (SSI) that promote growth mindset have been shown to be associated with improved mental health, particularly in adolescents. Youth in Lebanon suffer from alarmingly high rates of mental illness combined with lack of availability of mental health services and a stigma for seeking help. The present study investigated the effects of a growth mindset of personality SSI on mental health of children and adolescents in Lebanon with most identifying as Syrian refugees. We hypothesized that participation in the growth mindset SSI would lead to a decrease in hopelessness and selfhate and an increase in hope, agency, and perceived control, from pre to postintervention using a withinsubject research design. The intervention was translated into formal Arabic, adapted to the culture, and administered online at a school and a youth center. Within group effect sizes calculations show that the intervention was associated with a decrease in hopelessness (dav = 0.36, 95% CI [0.11, 0.61]; dz = 0.48, 95% CI [0.22, 0.73]) and selfhate (dav = 0.37, 95% CI [0.09, 0.64]; dz = 0.57, 95% CI [0.28, 0.85]) and an increase in perceived control (dav = 0.36, 95% CI [0.10, 0.61]; dz = 0.50, 95% CI [0.24, 0.76]). These changes from pre to postintervention were significant with small to moderate effect sizes. This study provided the first evidence in the Arab world of the cultural acceptability and feasibility as well as the mental health benefits of a costfree, Arabic growth mindset SSI.