Recent empirical studies reveal that women, particularly housewives in marginalized communities who engage in high levels of unpaid care work report significantly lower life satisfaction and well-being compared to men. In the Philippines, many housewives endure profound psychological and financial burdens, often leading to feelings of worthlessness and emotional distress. Addressing these challenges requires interventions that foster both psychological resilience and economic empowerment. This study examines the potential of positive psychology mantras affirmative, mindset-shaping statements to strengthen housewives’ psychological capital and stimulate creative production. An explanatory mixed methods design was employed. In the pre-experimental phase, participants provided informed consent and completed baseline assessments. Drawing from theoretical frameworks and the literature review, a Positive Psychology Mantra was then developed. The quantitative intervention phase engaged 60 participants in a within-subjects quasi-experimental design to evaluate the mantra’s effect on psychological capital and creative production. This was followed by a qualitative phase using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with 16 housewives who demonstrated significant growth in these areas. Findings indicate that participants who consistently practiced the Positive Psychology Mantra showed marked improvements in both psychological capital and creative output, with qualitative data providing rich support for these outcomes. Beyond testing the intervention’s effectiveness, the study highlights the lived experiences and personal meanings underlying these transformations. The results are expected to contribute to positive psychology, women’s empowerment, and community development by demonstrating the value of simple, culturally grounded psychological tools in enhancing the well-being and agency of marginalized housewives.

Authors:
Angelina Julom, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Angelina M. Julom is currently an Associate Professor 4 of the University of Santo Tomas, College of Science and Graduate School. She is also an academic researcher.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelina-julom-7743a8283/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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