Assessing changes in mood state in university students following short-term study abroad

Tsukasa Yamanaka*, Noriko Yamagishi, Norberto Eiji Nawa, Stephen J. Anderson, Berta Schnettler (Editor)

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Short-term study-abroad (STSA) programs provide a more accessible alternative for students who would otherwise not consider engaging in academic activities overseas. Though improvements in the levels of intercultural sensitivity and general academic aspects attained by STSA programs have been previously examined, much less is known regarding the impact such programs have in the mood of students. Here, we examined changes in mood state associated with participation in an STSA program in a group of Japanese university students. Mood states were assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6). Results indicated that the POMS mean scores of Vigor-Activity and SWLS peaked at the time immediately following participation in the STSA program; moreover, the same scores were found to be at comparable levels even one month after the end of the program. These results indicate that participation in STSA programs can positively influence the mood state of university students, suggesting that the benefits associated with participation in such programs extend beyond typically reported improvements in the academic domain.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0261762
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume16
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Dec 2021

Bibliographical note

© 2021 Yamanaka et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Keywords

  • Research Article
  • Biology and life sciences
  • Social sciences

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