The objective of the study was to determine whether practicing a self-compassion induction would reduce self-reported stress, depressed mood, and increase self-compassion in a randomized controlled study measuring variables of interest at two time points spanning three weeks.
Method
Participants were 129 students (91 females and 38 males, Mage = 19.47, SD = 3.20) divided into three groups: Self-compassion Break, Time Management Control Group, and a No-Induction Control Group. Participants were part of the general student body and were not diagnosed or screened for clinical depression. Self-compassion, stress, and depressed mood were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Participants practiced their respective inductions over three weeks after being guided through their respective inductions at Time 1.
Results
There were no significant differences between groups in outcome variables. Results of this study may indicate the importance of weekly group check-in meetings to facilitate positive change as findings in this study did not mirror those of similar studies using frequent meetings.
AdamsC. E.LearyM. R. (2007).
Promoting self-compassionate attitudes toward eating among restrictive and guilty eaters. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,
26, 1120–1144.
2.
AllenA.LearyM. R. (2010).
Self-compassion, stress, and coping. Social and Personality Psychology Compass,
4(2), 107–118.
3.
American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment. (2009).
American College Health Association—National College Health Assessment Spring 2008 Reference Group Data Report (Abridged). Journal of American College Health,
57, 477–488. doi:10.3200/jach.57.5.477-488
4.
ArchJ. J.BrownK. W.DeanD. J.LandyL. N.BrownK. D.LaudenslagerM. L. (2014).
Self-compassion training modulates alpha-amylase, heart rate variability, and subjective responses to social evaluative threat in women. Psychoneuroendocrinology,
42, 49–58.
5.
ArchJ. J.LandyL. N.BrownK. W. (2016).
Predictors and moderators of biopsychological social stress responses following brief self-compassion meditation training. Psychoneuroendocrinology,
69, 35–40.
6.
BeaumontE.GalpinA.JenkinsP. (2012).
Being kinder to myself: A prospective comparative study, exploring post-trauma therapy outcome measures, for two groups of clients, receiving either Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Compassionate Mind Training. Counseling Psychology Review,
27(1), 31–43.
7.
Bellosta-BatallaM.Ruiz-RobledilloN.Sariñana-GonzálezP.Capella-SolanoT.Vitoria-EstruchS.Hidalgo-MorenoG., … Moya-AlbiolL. (2017).
Increased salivary IgA response as an indicator of immunocompetence after a mindfulness and self-compassion-based intervention. Mindfulness,
9(3), 905–913.
8.
BluthK.Eisenlohr-MoulT. A. (2017).
Response to a mindful self-compassion intervention in teens: A within-person association of mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotional well-being outcomes. Journal of Adolescence,
57, 108–118.
9.
BluthK.GaylordS. A.CampoR. A.MullarkeyM. C.HobbsL. (2015).
Making friends with yourself: A mixed methods pilot study of a Mindful Self-Compassion Program for adolescents. Mindfulness,
7(2), 479–492.
10.
BraehlerC.GumleyA.HarperJ.WallaceS.NorrieJ.GilbertP. (2013).
Exploring change processes in compassion focused therapy in psychosis: Results of a feasibility randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Clinical Psychology,
52(2), 199–214.
11.
BrownR. A.LewinsohnP. M. (1984).
A psychoeducational approach to the treatment of depression: Comparison of group, individual, and minimal contact procedures. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,
52(5), 774–783. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.52.5.774
12.
ChishimaY.MizunoM.SugawaraD.MiyagawaY. (2018).
The influence of self-compassion on cognitive appraisals and coping with stressful events. Mindfulness,
9(6), 1907–1915. doi:10.1007/s12671-018-0933-0
13.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.).
Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum.
14.
CohenS.KamarckT.MermelsteinR. (1983).
A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior,
24, 386–396.
15.
DeRosierM. E.FrankE.SchwartzV.LearyK. A. (2013).
The potential role of resilience education for preventing mental health problems for college students. Psychiatric Annals,
43(12), 538–544. doi:10.3928/00485713-20131206-05
16.
DundasI.BinderP. E.HansenT. G.StigeS. H. (2017).
Does a short self‐compassion intervention for students increase healthy self‐regulation? A randomized control trial. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology,
58(5), 443–450.
17.
Eirini, K., & Anastasios, S. (2017). The Effectiveness of a Pilot Self-Compassion Program on Well Being Components. Psychology, 8(04), 538.
18.
GallaB. M. (2016).
Within-person changes in mindfulness and self-compassion predict enhanced emotional well-being in healthy, but stressed adolescents. Journal of Adolescence,
49, 204–217.
19.
GilbertP. (2005). Compassion: Conceptualization, Research and use in Psychotherapy.
New York, NY:
Routledge Publication.
20.
GilbertP.ProcterS. (2006).
Compassionate mind training for people with high shame and self-criticism: Overview and pilot study of a group therapy approach. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy,
13, 353–379.
21.
GravetterF.WallnauL. (2014). Essentials of statistics for the behavioral sciences (8th ed.).
Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
22.
HuntJ.EisenbergD. (2010).
Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students. Journal of Adolescent Health,
46, 3–10.
23.
JaroszA. F.WileyJ. (2014).
What are the odds? A practical guide to computing and reporting Bayes factors. Journal of Problem Solving,
7, 1–8. doi:10.7771/1932-6246.1167
JeffreysH. (1961). Theory of probability (3rd ed.).
Oxford, England:
Oxford University Press.
26.
KitamuraT.HiranoH.ChenZ.HirataM. (2009).
Factor structure of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale in first-year university students in Japan. Psychiatry Research,
128(3), 281–287.
27.
LearyM. R.TateE. B.AdamsC. E.Batts AllenA.HancockJ. (2007).
Self-compassion and reactions to unpleasant self-relevant events: The implications of treating oneself kindly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
92, 887–904.
28.
LeeS.SongX. (2004).
Evaluation of the Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches in analyzing structural equation models with small sample sizes. Multivariate Behavioral Research,
39(4), 653–686.
29.
MacBeth, A., & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 32, 545–552. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003
30.
MarshC. N. (2012). Help-seeking decisions among college students: The impact of mental health service affordability (PhD Thesis). University of Alabama, USA.
31.
MarsmanM.WagenmakersE. (2017).
Bayesian benefits with JASP. European Journal of Developmental Psychology,
14(5), 545–555. doi:10.1080/17405629.2016.1259614
MorenoM. A.JelenchickL. A.EganK. G.CoxE.YoungH.GannonK. E.BeckerT. (2011).
Feeling bad on Facebook: Depression disclosures by college students on a social networking site. Depression and Anxiety,
28, 447–455. doi:10.1002/da.20805
Neff, K. D., & Dahm, K. A. (2014). Self-Compassion: What it is, what it does, and how it relates to mindfulness (pp. 121–140). In M. Robinson, B. Meier & B. Ostafin (Eds.). Mindfulness and Self-Regulation. New York: Springer.
39.
NeffK. D.GermerC. K. (2013).
A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self‐compassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology,
69(1), 28–44. doi:10.1002/jclp.21923
40.
NeffK. D.HseihY.DejitteratK. (2005).
Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. Self and Identity,
4, 263–287. doi:10.1080/13576500444000317
PodinaI.JucanA.DavidD. (2015).
Self-compassion: A buffer in the pathway from maladaptive beliefs to depression: An exploratory study. Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies,
15(1), 97–109.
43.
RaesF. (2011).
The effect of self-compassion on the development of depression symptoms in a non-clinical sample. Mindfulness,
2, 33–36.
44.
RafteryA. E. (1995).
Bayesian model selection in social research. In MarsdenP. V. (Ed.), Sociological methodology (pp. 111–196).
Cambridge, MA:
Blackwell.
45.
SmeetsE.NeffK.AlbertsH.PetersM. (2014).
Meeting suffering with kindness: Effects of a brief self-compassion intervention for female college students. Journal of Clinical Psychology,
70(9), 794–807.
46.
SmithT. B.RosensteinI.GranaasM. M. (2001).
Intake screening with the self-rating depression scale in a university counseling center. Journal of College Counseling,
4(2), 133–141.
47.
SpokasM. E.RodebaughT. L.HeimbergR. G. (2008). Treatment outcome research. In McKayD. (Ed.), Handbook of research methods in abnormal and clinical psychology (pp. 523–530).
Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE.
48.
StolowD.ZuroffD. C.YoungJ. F.KarlinR. A.AbelaJ. R. (2016).
A prospective examination of self-compassion as a predictor of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology,
35(1), 1–20.
49.
WagenmakersE. (2007).
A practical solution to the pervasive problems of p values. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,
14(5), 779–804.
50.
YorgasonJ. B.LinvilleD.ZitzmanB. (2008).
Mental health among college students: Do those who need services know about and use them?Journal of American College Health,
57, 173–181.
51.
ZungW. W. K. (1965).
A self-rating depression scale. Achieves of General Psychiatry,
12(63), 63–70.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
