Ecominds-effects-on-mental-wellbeing-evaluation-report

52 <strong>Ecominds</strong> <strong>effects</strong> on mental wellbeing5.4 Mental wellbeingMental wellbeing is the main theme for the <strong>Ecominds</strong>evaluation. In the In-depth study, three standardised,internationally recognised instruments were used inthe evaluation to measure different elements of mentalwellbeing. Firstly, the Warwick Edinburgh MentalWellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) and Rosenberg SelfEsteem (RSE) scales were used to measure changes inparticipant wellbeing and self-esteem over the durationof the <strong>Ecominds</strong> programme – i.e. by comparingoutcome measures at the beginning and at the end ofthe programme. Secondly, the Profile of Mood States(POMS) (used to measure participant mood) and theRSE were used to measure changes in mood and selfesteemover the course of a session at an <strong>Ecominds</strong>project – i.e. by comparing outcomes before and aftera typical session. Thirdly, where self-esteem had beenmeasured at intervals over a period of time, longitudinaltrends over the programme could also be observed.5.4.1 Wellbeing - WEMWBSChanges over the <strong>Ecominds</strong> schemeParticipant WEMWBS scores showed a statisticallysignificant increase from the start (M=44.14 ±10.22) tothe end (M=49.43 ±9.81) of the participant involvementwith <strong>Ecominds</strong>, when tested with a paired samplest-test (p