The power of balance : relationships of overuse, underuse, and optimal use of character strengths with well-being and depressive symptoms in students

Strengths-based interventions for students could be improved through insights about the role of strengths use in psychopathology. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships of strengths under-, over-, and optimal use with well-being and depressive symptoms and identified a pattern of strengths use to differentiate between healthy and depressive students. 152 students filled out the Overuse/Underuse/Optimal Use Inventory of Strengths, the MHC-SF, and the BDI-II. Relationships were analyzed using correlations and multiple regression analysis. Group differences were investigated with Chi-square- and t-tests. The cluster of strengths use was examined with discriminant analysis. Significant associations were found for well-being with strengths underuse and optimal use and depressive symptoms with strengths underuse and optimal use. Students mainly optimally using their strengths had higher well-being than those who mainly over/-underused strengths. Underuse of hope predicted depressive symptoms and a cluster of underuse of hope, zest, perseverance, self-regulation, curiosity, bravery, creativity, and humility and overuse of humility differentiated healthy students from depressive students in 84.8% of the cases. The findings partly supported the model of the continuum of quality of strengths use but questioned the role of strengths overuse. Strengths-based interventions should focus on enhancing optimal strengths use and increasing the use of hope in students. Also, individuals’ specific strengths use patterns should be considered.