The Effects of a DNA-V Program on Psychological Flexibility Moderated by Gender and Race

Abstract

Previous research suggests that adolescents are vulnerable to a wide range of psychological issues and that these issues are often inadequately addressed. When addressed, mental health concerns are commonly handled in schools, who are in a unique position to intervene with social and emotional difficulties. Unfortunately, the implementation of social and emotional curriculum present barriers for implementation and impacting positive change in student functioning. An emerging model of behavior change uses principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, positive psychology, and behaviorism to target behaviors and promise healthy behaviors in youth. Data were collected from four Health/PE classes in a rural high school. The participants received a 6-week universal prevention intervention targeting social and emotional learning skills and psychological inflexibility. Participants who received the intervention curriculum did not exhibit significant changes in psychological inflexibility. Moderation analyses were conducted to determine if the change from pre- to post-intervention was moderated by gender or race. Overall, neither gender nor race moderated the relationship between pre-intervention psychological inflexibility to post-intervention psychological inflexibility.