Best possible future self-writing for in-flight security staff in well-being and self-regulation in China

Abstract

Best Possible Future Self-Writing (BPFS-Writing) is a simple and effective positive psychological intervention technique that has shown to consistently increase positive effects and may elicit sustained improvements in well-being. The aims of this study were to explore the effect of BPFS-Writing on well-being and the impact of self-regulation and to develop a BPFS-Writing handbook for airline certified instructors. This study randomly selected 212 in-flight security staff (IFSS) from an airline in China and assigned them to a BPFS-writing group and a control writing group in an experimental approach. Data were drawn from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Employee Well-being, and Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire. Repeated Measures ANOVA was performed on the pre-test and three post-test data. The results showed no significant differences in the effect on well-being between BPFS-Writing groups with different doses of writing time. The effects of different doses of the BPFS-Writing group were effective on well-being, but there was no main effect on self-regulation. In addition, BPFS-Writing did not impact well-being by increased self-regulation. The results revealed that there were no significant differences in well-being effects of BPFS-Writing among participants of different ages. Eventually, a BPFS-Writing handbook was developed based on the findings. It expectedly helps many certified airline instructors to use BPFS-Writing in IFSS training courses. Further recommendations for future research are to adjust the writing time procedures and conduct a study on different and various groups of airline staff.