Effects of an intergenerational program on adolescent self-concept clarity: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study examined the effects of a newly developed intergenerational program on self-concept clarity (SCC) of adolescent participants. METHOD: In 12 encounter groups, 58 secondary school students and 50 nursing home residents shared their life stories and discussed existential questions about life (e.g., important values in life, how to deal with failure and regret). The life story encounter program (LSEP) is based on the dyadic Life Story Interview and was expanded into a group format consisting of ten 90-min sessions. SCC was measured with the SCC Scale before, shortly after, and three months after the end of the LSEP. RESULTS: Analyses suggest that adolescent LSEP participants' SCC improved compared to a control group (no LSEP participation). Findings also indicate that increases in SCC were associated with LSEP participants' extraversion and agreeableness. CONCLUSIONS: The LSEP is a promising program for fostering SCC in adolescence. Implications for the application of the LSEP are discussed.

Changes in Age Stereotypes in Adolescent and Older Participants of an Intergenerational Encounter Program.

This intervention study explored the effects of a newly developed intergenerational encounter program on cross-generational age stereotyping (CGAS). Based on a biographical-narrative approach, participants (secondary school students and nursing home residents) were invited to share ideas about existential questions of life (e.g., about one's core experiences, future plans, and personal values). Therefore, the dyadic Life Story Interview (LSI) had been translated into a group format (the Life Story Encounter Program, LSEP), consisting of 10 90-min sessions. Analyses verified that LSEP participants of both generations showed more favorable CGAS immediately after, but also 3 months after the program end. Such change in CGAS was absent in a control group (no LSEP participation). The LSEP-driven short- and long-term effects on CGAS could be partially explained by two program benefits, the feeling of comfort with and the experience of learning from the other generation.