Early appraisal of the first iteration of a self-development and personality exploration programme (DEEPdown).
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Authors
Twomey, C.
O’Reilly, G.
Issue Date
2020
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
This paper concerns the early-phase development of a group self-development and personality exploration programme (DEEPdown) grounded in the Five Factor Model. A university pilot study wherein students completed the first iteration of the DEEPdown programme (n = 29), and a clinician survey (n = 36) were undertaken in parallel. University students completed feedback forms and focus groups; clinicians viewed a video summary. Data were analysed using quantitative and thematic analysis. Students consistently reported various positive experiences (e.g. space to reflect) and helpful in-session events (e.g. normative personality education). Their mean satisfaction level was 4.5 out of 5 (SD = 0.51), and in response to “I would recommend DEEPdown to friends and/or family”, 50% strongly agreed and 50% agreed. 27 of 29 students completed the 7-week programme. Clinician feedback was mostly favourable (e.g. 78% indicated that they would consider DEEPdown training), yet caution was also indicated (e.g. only 61% would recommend DEEPdown to a client). Key identified outcomes across both studies included greater self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-compassion. Concerns surrounding insufficient session duration and content complexity arose in both studies. DEEPdown (iteration 1) was broadly acceptable to both students and clinicians. While further refinement and empirical evaluations in different settings are needed, DEEPdown has the potential to positively impact upon important aspects of well-being. To encourage collaboration from the scientific community, we have released DEEPdown as an open source intervention that is freely usable, modifiable, and empirically testable without author permission; all programme content is available on an open source platform (https://osf.io/9eysm/).
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Citation
Twomey, C., O’Reilly, G. Early appraisal of the first iteration of a self-development and personality exploration programme (DEEPdown). Curr Psychol 41, 7086–7104 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01216-y