Infusing Positive Psychology with Spirituality in a Strength-Based Group Career Counseling to Evaluate College Students ’ State Anxiety

The present study examined the effect of group career counseling (GCC) by infusing positive psychology and spirituality on undergraduate students’ state anxiety. A total of 187 Taiwanese college students took the strength-based group career coursing courses and assigned to experimental groups, responded to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. After the subjects had participated in the model of career education course, the experimental groups score on state anxiety decreased. A Pearson Product-moment correlation matrix described the relationships between the state anxiety score and the 4 sub scores of the Problem Solving Scale and Spirituality total score. The multiple regression analysis of the state anxiety scale used gender, age and 4 sub scores of the Problem Solving and Spirituality scale as predictor variables. The predictor variables (“trait anxiety”, “purpose and meaning in life”, “problem-solving confidence” and “personal control” subscales of the “PSI”) were able to account for 48% of the variance of State Anxiety. Implications for future research and recommendations for incorporating positive psychology with spirituality into GCC are discussed.


Introduction
In recent years, with the impact from the financial tsunami and Euro debt crisis and the slowdown in growth of various economies, rapid changes have been generated in the labor market.The youth unemployment crisis worldwide is grimly taking shape and the employability of youth has thus become a highly emphasized policy topic for all countries.In Taiwan, national economies have been struggling and the youth unemployment rate (ages 15 to 24) has been very high during the ten years.According to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), Executive Yuan (2014), the overall unemployment rate in Taiwan for the month of July was 4.02%, which is far higher than South Korea at 3.6%, Japan at 3.7% and Hong Kong at 3.3%.If examining from the aspect of age groups, the unemployment rate of 12.83% in the age group of 15 to 24 year-old was the highest.According to the examination from the aspect of education level, the unemployment rate for tertiary educated individuals and above is 4.48%, among which the unemployment rate for university degree holders and above is 5.15%, indicating that high unemployment issue among highly educated individuals in Taiwan is still relatively severe.However, undergraduate students nowadays are commonly referred to as belonging to the "Strawberry Generation", meaning that they are less able to withstand pressure or anxiety.
Based on anxiety studies (Fuqua, Newman, & Seaworth, 1988;Spielberger, 2010), there are two types of anxiety: state anxiety as a transitory emotional state and trait anxiety as a stable individual difference in anxiety-proneness.Even though no implication of causality can be made, sate anxiety or the indecision, some college students are undecided because the process of making a decision arouses strong state anxiety.Most related studies mentioned that state anxiety is a significant main effect of career decision making among undergraduate students and is consistently related to high levels of career indecision (Harringto & Harrigan, 2006;Mojgan, Kadir, & Soheil, 2011;Peng, 2005;Peng, Johansson, & Chang, 2012).In 21 centenaries, in higher education should work in concerted to assist students in achieving their dream to pursue success, prominence, and excellence, because these youngsters can keep pursuing self-growth and boosting their positive thinking in the exploration process, convincing them that resilience can be trained (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Bockern, 2005;Duffy & Dik, 2009;Rosso, Dekas, & Wrzesniewski, 2010).Career counseling can empower students to combat setbacks and get through life difficulties/challenges and inspire students that each setback, trauma and blow in life has meanings within (Savickas, Rossier, Dauwalder, Duarte, Guichard, & Van Vianen, 2009;Stebleton & Peterson, 2007).As college students develop in the stage of career exploration, they may face different levels of pressure/anxiety, career counselor not only assist college students in alleviating mental symptoms negatively but in positively building healthy individual protective mechanism, i.e. positive psychology and spirituality.
Positive psychology aims to help individual find his inner psychological energy, served as a buffer to combat the setbacks and misfortune as well to ward off adversities and difficulties in life that avoids the individual not to fall victim to depressive status when facing difficulty (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000;Seligman, 2002aSeligman, , 2002b;;Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005).With the development of positive psychology, positive thinking shifts the direction to signify the problem-solving ambition generated when one encounters setbacks and difficulties prior to further finding feasible methods to combat, while therapeutic mode also shifts from passive therapy towards the positive prevention.In view of positive psychology findings not only will positive emotion expand individual's wisdom and physical and social resources, but also strengthen one's preparation ability under threat or when facing the upcoming opportunities (Carruthers & Hood, 2005;Dieser, 2005;Hunter & Csikszentmihalyi, 2003;Lopez, Magyar-Moe, Petersen, Ryder, Krieshok, O'Byrne & Fry, 2006;Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005).As a whole, positive psychology has raised people's awareness of value and meaning of life, as positive emotion can promote individual development skills and resources and positive thinking can help individual train good moral cultivation and adaptability (Brooks & Goldstein, 2004;Harris, Thoresen & Lopes, 2007;Kelley, 2004;Preskill & Donaldson, 2008;Robitsche & Woodson, 2006;Werner, 2003).
Not only positive psychology but also spirituality also reminds career counseling practitioner of their research realm need to focus on issues about people's potential, motivation, and ability from a open-minded and appreciative perspective.It is important for career counselors to understand spiritual variable may play in people's career decision making.Even though till today few studies have examined individuals who view their career as a vocation or calling, connecting spirituality to career decision making, spirit is one important element to create the meaning of career (Barrick, Mount & Li, 2013;Bloch, 2005;Dalton, 2001;Dudeck, 2004;Duffy & Blustein, 2005;Duffy, 2006;Duffy & Dik, 2009;Lips-Wiersma, 2002;Peng & Huang, 2014).In other words, the issues about spiritual goal and vocation will emerge in the process of vocational development (Dobrow, 2013).Dik and Duffy (2009) and Hirschi, (2012) indicated that many may search for a "calling" or spiritual symbol in their job, and internalized value system will always be of great benefit to one to explore his spiritual goal.Some college students don't take economic consideration as a motivation for their career but search for one "calling" or spiritual symbol for the sake of higher power or social advantages, and internalized value system will help them explore their spiritual goal (E. A. Colozzi & Colozzi, 2000;Peng & Chen, 2014;Peng & Huang, 2014).
In examining the relationship between career choice and spirituality, Peng and Chen (2014) indicated that spirituality is one of the important factors related to career indecision."Purpose and meaning of life" will be the most important factors for career choice.Only searching for the deepest in your heart, learning clearly what will be your interest or your passion, and embracing meaning and purpose for life will one feel contented with his life spiritually.It gives rise to a trend in career counseling in recent years, i.e. revaluing people's spiritual aspect.Spirit is a clear stream flowing in hi-tech and information development, as it values higher level of value, more than reasonable analysis or consideration of cost effect (Dobrow, 2013;Duffy, 2006;Duffy & Dik, 2009;Steger, Dik, & Duffy, 2012;Peng & Chen, 2014).When facing one job recognized as meaningful, one will be more devoted to it to develop his potential.One's originality derives partly from an in-depth understanding of individual spirit and keen observation of resources he/she has possessed.Career counseling should value spiritual aspect.Career counseling offered to clients may not mean participating in each detail meticulously but the direction of an action, and find and realize the multifaceted planning (academic study, family, vocation, leisure) on achieving a goal deeper than consciousness to face life and guide us to move on (Steger, Dik, & Duffy, 2012 ).
In more recent years "spiritual aspect" has become suddenly popular (Harris, Thoresen, & Lopez, 2007;Lindholm, Goldberg, & Calderone, 2005;Miller & Thoresen, 2003;Peng & Chen, 2014) giving suggestions to those engaging in career education tasks that career counseling practitioners should value the spiritual aspect of career counseling by showing respect, acceptance and empathy to the inner evaluation and views of the innermost world of these subjects, enabling them to make promise to their future and helping them to be willing to concentrate on their attention to the realization of the individual career planning and dream.
Although recent research has been conducted regarding state anxiety and career decision making, little of these research has focused on the effect of strength-based group career counseling (GCC) by integrating positive psychology and spirituality on state anxiety.The objectives include: (1) To examine the effects for college students to have career planning course by infusing positive psychology with spirituality on the state anxiety status; (2) To predict the status of the dependent variable of state anxiety with factors (gender, age, etc.) given in the independent variable of personal profile of college student, spirituality, and problem solving status; and treatment (the positive teaching methods courses).The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of group career counseling (GCC) by infusing positive psychology and spirituality on undergraduate students' state anxiety.The main hypothesis was that the strength-based group career counseling would be effective in decreasing state anxiety among undergraduate students in Taiwan.

Participants
Research participants included 187 Taiwan college students from career planning courses which were experimental groups.The elective courses offered by the same instructor who is an experienced professor and licensed counselor.The 187 subjects in four classes were all for the experiment groups (36 male; 149 female; 49 for Freshmen & Sophomore; 137 Junior & Senior).The mean age for the sample was 21.73.The subjects for the first time course of the semester were noticed about the contents of the strength-based career planning model by integrating positive psychology and spirituality.

Measures
To achieve the research goal, three instruments were adopted by this research include a demographic questionnaire will be prepared by the researcher, Spirituality Assessment Scale (SAS) (Howden, 1992), Anxiety scale-The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Spielberger & Sydeman, 1994; The Chinese version of the STAI) and the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) (Heppner, 1988).
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI, Spielberger, 2010;Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970;Spielberger & Sydeman, 1994) was designed to evaluate both state and trait anxiety.Spielerger (2010) defined state anxiety as a temporary emotional state, and trait anxiety as an aspect of personality emphasizing a personal tendency to worry.The 20 items State Anxiety subscale (A-State) and the 20 items Trait Anxiety subscale (A-Trait) were used to represent two different models of anxiety.Both the A-State and A-Trait scales are made up of twenty 4-point scale items.Scores were computed by summing ratings across items, with higher scores representing higher anxiety on both subscales.Test-retest reliabilities for the A-State scale are low (.16 to .54) as would be expected for a transitory emotional state while they are higher (.73 to .86) for the A-Trait scale.The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory concluded it was both reliable and valid.Internal consistency reliabilities for the sample used in the study were .62 and .84 for the State-and Trait-Anxiety subscales, respectively.The Chinese version of the State-Trait Inventory, which is translated and modified from the English version, yielded internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alpha) of .85 for all items (Wu, 1991).Internal consistency reliability for the present sample was .74.
The Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) (Heppner & Peterson, 1982) is an instrument that assesses individuals' perceptions of their problem-solving behavior.It consists of 32 six-point Likert scale items, where low scores indicate behaviors and attitudes typically associated with "effective" problem solving.Since the PSI is a self-rating questionnaire, scores should not be considered synonymous with subjects' actual level of problem-solving skills (Heppner, 1988;Heppner & Hendricks, 1995).Factor analysis has revealed three distinct constructs: problem-solving confidence (11 items), approach-avoidance style (16 items), and personal control (5r items).Reliability estimates revealed that the construct were internally consistent (.72-.90);N=150) and stable over a 2-week period (.83-.89;N=31).In addition to the three factor scores, a total PSI score is used as a single, general index of problem-solving appraisal.The instrument is developed and assessed in personal life how to deal with the personal difficulty or the problem at present.

Procedures
The study was focused on the experimental stage of teaching the strength-based career planning courses by infusing positive psychology and spirituality for college students.The participants in the designed career planning related course met once a week for 18 weeks.Each class meeting lasted 2 hours, resulting in a total of 36 hours of direct training in the strength-based career planning courses.The Chinese version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Wu, 1991), the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) (Heppner, 1988), Spirituality Assessment Scale (SAS) (Howden, 1992) and one demographic questionnaire were administered for the first and last class sessions as pre-and post-tests.The processes of the procedure included: (1) To do the literature review related to positive psychology and spirituality to confirm that studies theme content and progress; (2) Setting the time schedule to grind and plan to the study in details; (3) To run the programs to lead the class activities in whole term in the semester and to get feedback of the questionnaire with the research and development activity of the tool; (4) To participate in domestic and international relevant conference and seminar; (5) To put the finding in order, and make a self-criticism the course analyses, propose the conclusion and suggestion.The participants in the career education course received a cover letter at the first time course to know the outline of the career planning related course contents.
Intervention of the GCC course by infusing positive psychology with spirituality.
In this study, the strength-based group career counseling, using a combined positive psychology skills training with spirituality intervention, was infused into session plan contents.The goal of the strength-based career planning course was to deal with state anxiety.When outlining career planning, the instructor of the strength-based career planning courses embraced an open, listening and devout heart to be associated with the inner cognition as well as be willing to face uncertain future and accept challenge because personal creativity comes from having an in-depth understanding of spirit and a keen observation on the resources possessed by self.
In developing the format for the creative model of the career planning course, there are two major textbooks of the course: The Luck is No Accident (Krumboltz & Levin, 2004) and the Handbook of Career Planning by integrating Positive Psychology and Spirituality (Peng, 2010).The two major reference books are: Group Career counseling: Practices and Principles (Pyle & Harris-Bowlsbey, 2007) and Critical Incidents in Group Counseling (Tyson, Perusse, & Whitledge, 2004).
Based on the literature review related to positive psychology and spirituality to confirm that studies theme content and progress.Positive and negative feelings in life should follow the rule of nature, believing the process arising from positive psychology and spirit as one inner growth for individual to pursue inner harmony.The session plan topics of the strength-based GCC as follow:   6) Embracing an ardent attitude toward life and outlining positive career planning.The major one of the activities is to be a volunteer in any volunteering type.To remind class students the definition of being a volunteer is if we are not asking for rewards and are involved in social causes.Assessment method: It is a two-credit subject.Attendance rate of 10%; build personal blog or personal file with related information collected (final-term exhibition) 30%; weekly journal of positive cognition 10%; team report about their learning experience and insights in any volunteering type 40% (the final-term report: content 50%; team work 30%; creativity 20%).For the overall assessment of students' learning results, a student will be rated "Good," "Pass" or "Fail" score.

Analysis
Data analysis included descriptive statistical analysis; Pearson Product-moment Procedure; T test; two way ANOVA (gender & academic year level); multiple Regression Analysis Data analysis included descriptive statistical analysis; Pearson Product-moment Procedure; T test; two way ANOVA (gender & academic year level); multiple Regression Analysis.The model used to analyze the data was a two-way ANCOVA factorial design.A two-way ANCOVA with pre-test as the covariate was used to analyses participants' scores on the State Anxiety subscale of the Chinese version of the STAI.The alpha level to determine significance was set at .05.

Results
The experiment group which was composed from four career planning related courses was 187 subjects.The mean of post-test state anxiety (M=45.94;SD=7.37) is significantly lower than that of the pre-test score of the experimental group (M=49.13;SD=11.46,t=2.72,p<.01).This finding suggests that college students experienced less state anxiety after participating in the career education course.
With respect to the research question regarding the evaluation of the class-based group career counseling by integrating positive psychology with spirituality in college students' state anxiety, the results of the study are presented in two tables.Descriptive Statistics: There is no significant pre-test difference between female and male clients among the scales (t=1.23,p>.01).Trait anxiety: Female (M=47.74;S=9.18); Male (M=47.42;S=7.10);State anxiety: Female (M=49.08;S=11.83);Male (M=49.28;S=10.30).There is no significant pre-test difference between upper (Junior & Senior) and lower academic level (Freshmen & Sophomore) clients among the scales (t=1.710,p>.01).Trait anxiety: Upper (M=49.57;S=9.20); Lower (M=47.05;S=8.53);State anxiety: Upper (M=48.31;S=12.20);Lower (M=49.45;S=11.25).Regarding the T test, it shows no significant difference for the gender or academic levels (upper and lower) of the experimental group on the pre-tests of stat anxiety scores.It shows there is significant difference on post-tests of state anxiety (t=2.69,p<.01)..20).This finding suggests that college students no matter gender of academic level experienced less state anxiety after participating in the career education course.
In addition to the STAI descriptive statistics results, in order to more adequately examine the state anxiety score, results of a two-way analysis of covariance of state anxiety, with pre-test partial led out as a covariate, are reported in Table 2.The two-way ANCOVA results for the state anxiety scale of the STAI indicated that the significant differences of academic level existed regardless of trait anxiety.The following up interviewing from 10 subjects, the finding of the effects of infusing positive psychology into the career planning courses for college students included: (1) Upgrading personal self-understanding; (2) Developing concrete understanding of personal competencies and interests: (3) Having introspection of the sources of personal pressures and anxiety and increasing problem-solving abilities; (4) Giving serious consideration and drawing up planning for the future.

Discussion
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a strengthed-based group career counseling (GCC) by infusing positive psychology with spirituality to reduce subjects' state anxiety.The research question is whether undergraduate students who have taken the strength-based career planning relate courses report less state anxiety or not.For the quantitative part of the study, regardless of gender and academic level, it shows significant differences on pre and post scores for the total score of stat anxiety.The experiment group was 187 subjects.The mean of the post-test score of the experimental group (M=45.94;SD=7.37) is significantly lower than that of the pre-test score of the experimental group (M=49.13;SD=11.46,p< .01).This finding suggests that college students experienced less state anxiety after participating in the career education course.
A more affirming in strength-based group career counseling infusing positive psychology with spirituality for college students positive impact on state anxiety status.This study is intra study to compare the pre-and post-tests instead of having comparing groups designed.As featuring an action research, this research was still in an experimental stage of pre-testing.For the quantitative part of the study, suggestions as follow: (1) The model of integrating positive psychology with spirituality the strength-based career planning course helpful for college students no matter of gender or academic level; (2) For the design of infusing positive psychology with spirituality into the group career counseling (GCC) offered to college students, the detailed curriculum scheme incorporated into the strength-based career planning related course learning can be brought up.
By using Pearson Product-moment Procedure this study is developing insight into the correlations among state anxiety with problem-solving status and spirituality.It presents positive correlation between state anxiety and problem-solving status; it shows negative correlation between the total score of problem-solving status and the total score of spirituality.Using multiple regression analyses, the predictor variables were able to account for 48% of the variance of State Anxiety.In addition, "trait anxiety", "purpose and meaning in life", "problem-solving confidence" and "personal control" subscales of the PSI" were the four main predictors of State Anxiety, which confirmed the findings of Peng and Huang (2014).Therefore, spiritual and positive psychology factors need to be incorporated into the strength-based career planning curriculum to nurture the proactive and positive attitude of students toward life.However, the limitation of this research is that few subjects and no control groups to know the comparison effect whether is from the experiment of the action research.
The most important goal of the GCC study by infusing positive psychology with spirituality is encourage career counseling practitioner to face state-anxiety to motivate the career exploration motive of college students and, further helping them increase their competencies to bring solutions to problems they have encountered with and enhance the effects of group career counseling!This study only focus on the effect of the model of the career planning on state anxiety, future research by using group career counseling (GCC) model, career counseling practitioner can modify the contents of the strength-based career planning course/ group career counseling (GCC) to help undergraduate students not only decrease their state anxiety but also may increase their scores of spirituality and problem solving status.
2. Learning about and constructing positive psychology and resilience; Introduction/handout of positive cognition 3. Applications of positive psychology and resilience-A study on spiritual calling in spiritual model 4. Visual threshold for insightful cognition; gaining insight into the positive and negative sides of one thing 5. Stories of positive thinking (inspirational stories good for one who faces difficulty or tough challenge in his life) 6.A movie leading you to understand yourself (Chariots of Fire); three steps for law of attraction, listening to your inner voice 7. Time management/dealing with pressure and mental health 8. Movie "Traveling Birds" and "drawing your lifeline" 9. Mid-term exam: personal blog; notes of lectures; collecting articles 10.Positive Psychology DVD 11.The application of positive psychology to daily time management 12.The application of positive psychology to emotions management 13.The application of positive psychology to one's life episode 14.The application of positive psychology and spirituality to interpersonal relationships and emphatic skills 15.The application of positive psychology and spirituality to situations when facing and solving interpersonal conflicts 16. Discussion on films about positive psychology and spirituality ("The bucket list" movie and "Evan Almighty"-God's calling) 17.Group discussion and report (sharing of motto/quotes, such as: Doing one thing that scares you everyday to help you grow) 18. Sharing and reviewing personal answers about "What do you want in life?What on earth am I here for?"Writing your "vision board" as final evaluation The teaching goals of the "Career Planning Curriculum Integrating Positive Thinking and Spiritual Connotation" as follow: (1) Gaining understanding of implication of positive psychology; (2) Developing better understanding of positive subjective experiences and building good habit of positive cognition; (3) Inspiring one's learning motivation; (4) Applying the principles of positive psychology to daily life; (5) Finding one's inner voice and invigorating others to search for their inner voice; (

Table 1 .
Session plan topicsThe GCC course Integrating Positive Psychology with Spirituality1.Introduction of course; sharing principle of the magnifying glassReading "A Hidden Design of Fate Not to be Revealed-A Study on Spiritual Calling and Career Planning" written by H. Peng.

Table 2 .
T-test means and standard deviation of the STAI at pre-and post-tests Based on the t-test analysis of gender of the experiment groups for the state anxiety post-test score, the mean for the male of the pre-test was 49.28 (SD=10.30);on the post-test, the mean was 45.44 (SD=7.14); the mean for the female of the pre-test was 49.08 (SD=11.83); the post-test, the mean was 45.99 (SD=7.46).The differences between pre-test and post-test scores for the state anxiety of the academic level, upper or under were significantly different as previous studies, the post-test scores were lower than those of pre-test scores of the state anxiety.The mean for the upper academic level of the pre-test was 48.31 (SD=12.20);on the post-test, the mean was 45.98 (SD=4.50).The mean for the under academic level of the pre-test was 49.45 (SD=11.25);on the post-test, the mean was 45.91 (SD=8

Table 3 .
Analysis of covariance for the state anxiety of STAI (with pretest as covariate) It presents negative correlations among spirituality, state anxiety and the total score of PSI.It presents positive correlations among state anxiety, the total score of the PSI and trait anxiety.It has presented positive correlation among the total score of PSI and state anxiety, the subscales scores of the problem solving confidence, approach-avoidance style and control.Multiple regression analysis for variables predicting state anxiety: Using multiple regression analyses, the predictor variables were able to account for 48% of the variance of State Anxiety."Trait anxiety", "purpose and meaning in life", "confidence and control subscales of the PSI" were the four main predictors of State Anxiety.