Effectiveness of Group-based Positive Psychotherapy and Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Improving Psychological Distress, Coping Strategies, and Well-being Among Incarcerated Individuals.
GB- PPT&PCBT
1 other identifier
interventional
180
1 country
4
Brief Summary
The foremost idea of the proposed research is to highlight the impact of psychological distress and coping strategies on the wellbeing of individuals in incarceration. In Pakistan, there is limited literature available to support the psychological wellbeing of individuals in incarceration. The current research will not only explore the impact of psychological distress and coping strategies on the wellbeing of inmates. In addition, the research will also aim to investigate the effectiveness of group-based interventions, which includes Positive Psychotherapy (PPT) and Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PCBT) in improving psychological distress, coping strategies, and wellbeing of Incarcerated Individuals.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Dec 2025
4 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
December 16, 2025
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
September 26, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
October 1, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
December 31, 2026
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
April 1, 2027
October 1, 2026
September 1, 2026
1 year
September 26, 2026
September 26, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (3)
Psychological Distress
Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale DASS-21 is a self-report questionnaire designed to examine three negative emotional states. The scale has 21 items, with 7 items for each subdomain.
Baseline and 8th Week
PERMA Profiler
23-item questionnaire for assessing five elements, including positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment), along with negative emotion and health.
Baseline and 8th Week
Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory
Self-report 28-item questionnaire to measure coping with sress
Baseline and 8th Week
Secondary Outcomes (1)
Character Strengths
Baseline and 8th week
Study Arms (3)
Positive Psychotherapy (PPT)
EXPERIMENTALThe participants in this experimental group will receive intervention; treatment plan based on a strong foundation of positive psychology for enhancing positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment by building up individuals' inner skill sets, including strengths and achievements, to manage their psychological distress to improve their quality of life.
Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PCBT)
EXPERIMENTALIn this experimental group, the participants will receive an intervention plan based on incorporating positive psychology and solution-focused brief therapy (Bannink \& Geschwind, 2021) within the model of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Waitlist Control Group
OTHERThe participants who will be assigned to this group will be on the waitlist during the active research period. Post-test will be collected at the time as the experimental group to compare the results. After the completion of research data, waitlist participants will be offered and invited to enrol for intervention.
Interventions
The participants in this experimental group will receive intervention; treatment plan based on a strong foundation of positive psychology for enhancing positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment by building up individuals' inner skill sets, including strengths and achievements, to manage their psychological distress to improve their quality of life. The intervention plan is designed to employ 8 PPT exercises, including a positive introduction, three good things, using character strengths in a way, positive cognitive reappraisal, active constructive responding, savouring, gratitude letters and forgiveness letters.
In this experimental group, the participants will receive an intervention plan based on incorporating positive psychology and solution-focused brief therapy (Bannink \& Geschwind, 2021) within the model of cognitive behavioral therapy. The 8-week session plan emphasizes on what is better, exploring the existing resources and self-monitoring to improve wellbeing and quality of life.
Participants allocated to this group will be considered as on the waitlist during the active data collection period. This group will serve as a comparison group to see the effectiveness of PPT and PCBT.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Individuals with first time offense
- Minimum duration of incarceration: 3 months.
- Must have a score falling in the mild to severe range for depression and/or anxiety and a score below 6.4 on the PERMA profiler.
- Urdu understanding and ability to comprehend measures
You may not qualify if:
- not falling in the age criteria
- having a history of repeated crime
- under any pharmacological and psychological treatment.
- Individuals with types of crimes such as murder and rape were not included.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (4)
Central Prison and Correctional Facility for Women Karachi
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Central Prison and Correctional Facility Karachi
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
District Prison & Correctional Facility Malir Karachi
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Youthful Offenders Industrial School (YOIS)
Karachi East, Sindh, Pakistan
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Mahum Azhaar
Institute of Professional Psychology, Bahria University Karachi
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- PhD Scholar, Associate Clinical Psychologist
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
September 26, 2026
First Posted
October 1, 2026
Study Start
December 16, 2025
Primary Completion (Estimated)
December 31, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
April 1, 2027
Last Updated
October 1, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-09
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share
Due to the nature of the research participants and as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for research and mental health sessions inside Sindh prison, the researcher has signed to comit full compilance with prison rules and guidelines to ensure confidentiality and data protection.