Self-compassion Training Research Articles

Self-compassion predicts less fear of childbirth in childless women: the mediating role of birth beliefs

Objective Women can have fear of childbirth (FOC) in advance of their first pregnancy and such fear can have implications for reproductive and eventual childbirth choices. This study aims to further our understanding of the role of self-compassion in FOC in young childless women, including possible pathways through which self-compassion might relate to less FOC: through natural and medical birth beliefs. Design and Main Outcome Measures In this correlational study, 316 young childless Australian women completed measures of self-compassion, natural and medical birth beliefs, and FOC. Results Self-compassion predicted less FOC, and although self-compassion as a total score did not relate to natural birth beliefs, it did relate to lower scores on medical birth beliefs. The indirect effect through medical birth beliefs was supported; greater self-compassion predicted lower scores on medical birth beliefs, which in turn predicted less FOC. Conclusions The findings, although cross-sectional, support the study of self-compassion in FOC, which is in part because self-compassion predicts less medical birth beliefs. With further research, self-compassion training might be incorporated into public health initiatives targeting FOC in young childless women.

Somatic Self-Compassion Training Reduces Perceived Stress, Internalized Shame, and Bodily Shame while Increasing Coping Self-efficacy and Self-compassion

Somatic Self-Compassion® training is a newly developed trauma-informed self-compassion training that was designed to combine interoception and sensory modulation in order to teach individuals to more effectively cope with current and past stress. Thirty-two non-clinical adults across five cohorts participated in this pre-post design feasibility study. Participation in Somatic Self-Compassion® Online resulted in significant reductions in perceived stress, internalized shame, and bodily shame and significant improvements in coping self-efficacy and self-compassion. Of particular importance for moving the field of self-compassion research forward is the strengthened case for inclusion of shame as a dependent variable in order to understand the relationship between self-compassion, shame, and stress.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive Self-Compassion Training on Academic Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Social Adequacy in Yazd 9th Grade Male Students

Introduction: In today's world, studying the factors affecting academic achievement is one of the major concerns in evaluating education and all the efforts of this system are targeted at fulfilling this goal. Scientific progress can be achieved by training scientific and creative people. Academic achievement contributes to the development of the country, leads to finding a suitable job and position at the highest levels, and results in a sufficient income. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive self-compassion education, academic self-efficacy, and social adequacy in the ninth grade male students of Yazd. Methods: This research was quasi-experimental with pre-test/post-test design using a control group. The statistical population included all ninth grade male students in Yazd in 2018-2019. Data collection tools included the 27-item questionnaire of Zajakova et al. (2005), the 47-item questionnaire of Flanner (1990), and the Gilbert training package (2009). The stepwise cluster random sampling method was applied; the second educational district was randomly selected form all educational districts of Yazd. Later, a high school was selected randomly and then students of a grade (the ninth grade) were selected as the study sample. The students were randomly assigned into the experimental and control groups. The experimental group was exposed to cognitive self-compassion training in 8 sessions of 90 minutes. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Results: Based on the findings of this study, 8 sessions of cognitive self-compassion training increased the level of students' self-efficacy and social adequacy significantly in the post-test phase (p <0.5).Conclusion: According to the obtained results, the cognitive self-compassion education can increase the students’ academic self-efficacy and social adequacy, which have a positive effect on their academic achievement. Therefore, application of the interventional programs in schools is recommended in this regard.

Mindfulness facets, self-compassion, and drinking to cope: How do associations differ by gender in undergraduates with harmful alcohol consumption?

Objective: Undergraduate students show high rates of harmful alcohol consumption, and coping-motivated use has been consistently shown to be the most problematic. The present study examines associations between mindfulness facets, self-compassion, and coping-motivated use, and how these associations differ by gender. Participants and Methods: Undergraduate students reporting harmful alcohol consumption (N = 146; 55.5% women) completed self-report measures assessing their dispositional mindfulness facets, self-compassion, and drinking motives. Results: Regression analyses revealed that for both genders, mindfulness facets and self-compassion were negatively associated with drinking to cope with depression, but not anxiety. Non-judging was uniquely negatively associated with drinking to cope with depression in women, but in men, non-reactivity was the sole unique association. Conclusions: Future research should investigate whether mindfulness and self-compassion training for undergraduates with harmful alcohol consumption is more effective if they target students who drink to cope with depression and emphasize different skills depending on the student’s gender.

Brief Self-Compassion Training Alters Neural Responses to Evoked Pain for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study.

Self-compassion meditation, which involves compassion toward the self in moments of suffering, shows promise for improving pain-related functioning, but its underlying mechanisms are unknown. This longitudinal, exploratory pilot study investigated the effects of a brief (eight contact hours, two weeks of home practice) self-compassion training on pain-related brain processing in chronic low back pain (cLBP). We evaluated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) response to evoked pressure pain and its anticipation during a self-compassionate state and compared altered brain responses following training with changes on self-reported measures of self-compassion (Self-Compassion Scale [SCS]), interoceptive awareness (Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness [MAIA]), and clinical pain intensity. In a sample of participants with cLBP (N = 20 total, N = 14 with complete longitudinal data) who underwent self-compassion training, we observed reduced clinical pain intensity and disability (P < 0.01) and increased trait self-compassion and interoceptive awareness (all P < 0.05) following training. Evoked pressure pain response in the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) was reduced following training, and decreases were associated with reduced clinical pain intensity. Further, increased fMRI responses to pain anticipation were observed in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and ventral posterior cingulate cortex (vPCC), and these increases were associated with mean post-training changes in SCS scores and scores from the body listening subscale of the MAIA. These findings, though exploratory and lacking comparison with a control condition, suggest that self-compassion training supports regulation of pain through the involvement of self-referential (vPCC), salience-processing (TPJ), and emotion regulatory (dlPFC) brain areas. The results also suggest that self-compassion could be an important target in the psychotherapeutic treatment of cLBP, although further studies using controlled experimental designs are needed to determine the specificity of these effects.

The Effects of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Training on Increasing Self-Compassion in Healthcare Professionals

Abstract Date Presented 03/26/20 Healthcare professionals are vulnerable to stress overload and its manifestations. This study investigated the impact of MSC training on people working in healthcare. Overall self-compassion and subscale scores showed significant improvement. Participants indicated that self-compassion and positive mind states were integrated into their lives. OTs should integrate MSC as an intervention for their clients and themselves. Primary Author and Speaker: Susan Knier Additional Authors and Speakers: Julie Watson, Jennifer Duffy

Neural activations during self-related processing in patients with chronic pain and effects of a brief self-compassion training – A pilot study

Chronic pain negatively affects psychological functioning including self-perception. Self-compassion may improve self-related functioning in patients with chronic pain but understanding of the neural mechanisms is limited. In this study, twenty patients with chronic low back pain read negative self-related situations and were instructed to be either self-reassuring or self-critical while undergoing fMRI. Patients rated their feelings of self-reassurance and self-criticism during each condition, and brain responses were contrasted with neutral instructions. Trait self-compassion measures (SCS) were also acquired. Brain activations during self-criticism and self-reassurance were localized to prefrontal, self- and emotion-processing areas, such as medial prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and posterior cingulate cortex. Self-reassurance resulted in more widespread and stronger activations relative to self-criticism. Patients then completed a brief self-compassion training (8 contact hours, 2 weeks home practice). Exploratory pre-post comparisons in thirteen patients found that feelings of self-criticism were significantly reduced and brain activations were greater in the anterior insula and prefrontal cortical regions such as dlPFC. Pre-post increases in dlPFC activation correlated with increased self-compassion (SCS), suggesting that early self-compassion skills might primarily target self-criticism via dlPFC upregulation. Future controlled studies on self-compassion training in chronic pain populations should extend these results.

Is self-compassion negatively associated with alcohol and marijuana-related problems via coping motives?

Alcohol and marijuana misuse is prevalent on many university campuses, with high rates of undergraduate students reporting experiencing alcohol and/or marijuana-related problems, which have been consistently associated with coping-motivated use. While previous studies have found dispositional mindfulness to be negatively associated with coping motives and alcohol-related problems, the present two-part study examines self-compassion, a complementary construct to mindfulness. Study One examines whether dispositional self-compassion is negatively associated with alcohol-related problems via drinking to cope with anxiety and depression, whereas Study Two extends this model by examining whether dispositional self-compassion is negatively associated with marijuana-related problems via coping-motivated marijuana use. Undergraduate students (N = 174 in Study One; N = 165 in Study Two) completed self-report measures assessing their levels of dispositional self-compassion, drinking or marijuana motives, and alcohol or marijuana-related problems. In Study One, mediation analyses showed dispositional self-compassion was negatively associated with alcohol-related problems via drinking to cope with anxiety, but not depression. In Study Two, mediation analyses showed dispositional self-compassion was negatively associated with marijuana-related problems via coping-motivated marijuana use. Future research should investigate whether self-compassion training helps reduce drinking to cope with anxiety, drinking to cope with depression, and/or coping-motivated marijuana use and the associated problems, and how this relationship differs for students who drink to cope with anxiety versus depression.

Can Athletes Be Tough And Kind To Themselves? Improving Mental Health Best Practices In Ncaa

Recent events and official NCAA reports indicate that student-athletes’ well-being is compromised by sub-clinical issues of mental health (MH) disorders. Self-compassion (SC) and mental toughness (MT) are two psychological constructs that have been demonstrated effective against sports stressors. However, their conceptualizations seem contradictory (“machismo” mentality vs. self-kindness). Wilson, Bennett, Mosewich, Faulkner, and Crocker (2019) were the first to explore the compatibility of the two constructs towards athletic performance. PURPOSE: To investigate the three constructs in a NCAA environment and provide evidence towards updating current MH best practices. METHODS: In total, 542 NCAA student-athletes from all three NCAA Divisions participated (Mage=19.84, SD=1.7). Three inventories were administered: the Mental Toughness Index (MTI), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (MHC-SF). After IRB approval, all three questionnaires were administered via student email using Qualtrics. A multiple regression model was estimated using MTI and SCS scores as predictors of MHC-SF along with a moderation effect between MTI and SCS. RESULTS: The model explained about 34% of variability in MHC-SF and indicated that MTI and SCS were positively related with MHC-SF (r=.407, p<0.01; r=0.541, p<0.01, respectively). There was also a negative moderation effect [B=-0.245, SE=0.097, p<0.05], meaning that MT and SC mitigate each other to an extent as they both increase. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings generally agree with Wilson et al., 2019. Nevertheless, they indicate that -although MT and SC are compatible processes in the same athlete- their interaction may not be beneficial to MH. A possible explanation could be timing: SC and MT may enhance MH when they are employed at separate times, but not simultaneously. Including MT and SC training and teaching all athletes how to hold these competing qualities in a way that complement rather than conflict may strengthen current NCAA MH best practices.

Self-Compassion as a Way to Embrace Loneliness in University Students

This study aims to examine the relationship between self-compassion and loneliness in university students. Three hundred and twenty-nine registered university students in Jabodetabek that were recruited through purposive sampling participated in the study. Self-compassion was measured using Skala Welas Diri and loneliness was measured using UCLA Loneliness Scale version 3. Data was analyzed using linear regression and Pearson correlation to observe the relationship between components of self-compassion and loneliness. Results shows that self-compassion significantly predicts loneliness in students and self-compassion components are related to loneliness. The results suggest that self-compassion training may benefit the students to alleviate their loneliness.

Effectiveness of Self-Compassion Training on Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Effectiveness of Self-Compassion Training on Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Mental health of Malaysian university students: UK comparison, and relationship between negative mental health attitudes, self-compassion, and resilience

Poor mental health of university students is becoming a serious issue in many countries. Malaysia - a leading country for Asia-Pacific education - is one of them. Despite the government’s effort to raise awareness, Malaysian students’ mental health remains challenging, exacerbated by the students’ negative attitudes towards mental health (mental health attitudes). Relatedly, self-compassion and resilience have been reported to improve mental health and mental health attitudes. Malaysian students (n = 153) responded to paper-based measures about mental health problems, negative mental health attitudes, self-compassion, and resilience. Scores were compared with 105 UK students, who also suffered from poor mental health and negative mental health attitudes, to make a cross-cultural comparison, to contextualise Malaysian students’ mental health status, using t tests (aim 1). Correlation, path, and moderation analyses were conducted, to evaluate the relationships among these mental health constructs (aim 2). Malaysian students scored higher on mental health problems and negative mental health attitudes, and lower on self-compassion and resilience than UK students. Mental health problems were positively associated with negative mental health attitudes, and negatively associated with self-compassion and resilience. While self-compassion mediated the relationship between negative mental health attitudes and mental health problems (high self-compassion weakened the impacts of negative mental health attitudes on mental health problems), resilience did not moderate the same relationship (the level of resilience did not influence the impact of negative mental health attitudes on mental health problems). Self-compassion training was suggested to counter the challenging mental health in Malaysian university students.

The Effectiveness of Self-Compassion Training and Positive Thinking on Sleep Quality and Decrease of Pain Intensity in Girl With Primary Dysmenorrhea

The Effectiveness of Self-Compassion Training and Positive Thinking on Sleep Quality and Decrease of Pain Intensity in Girl With Primary Dysmenorrhea

Online self-compassion training to improve the wellbeing of youth with chronic medical conditions: protocol for a randomised control trial

BackgroundChronic medical conditions (CMCs) affect up to 35% of children and adolescents. Youth with chronic medical conditions are at an increased risk of psychological distress and reduced health-related quality of life, and report rates of mental illness up to double that of their physically healthy peers. Accessible, evidence-based interventions for young people with chronic illness are urgently required to improve their mental health and daily functioning. Self-compassion involves taking a mindful, accepting approach to difficult experiences, being aware that one is not alone in one’s suffering, and being kind and understanding with oneself during challenging times. Self-compassion shares strong associations with mental health outcomes among young people and preliminary work indicates that interventions that build self-compassion have the potential to substantially improve youth mental health. Self-compassion is also associated with better physical and mental health outcomes among individuals living with CMCs. While face-to-face self-compassion training is available, there are several barriers to access for youth with CMCs. Online self-compassion training potentially offers an accessible alternative for this high-risk group.MethodsSelf-Compassion Online (SCO) is a self-compassion program that has been tested with a non-clinical adult group. For the proposed trial, a reference group of youth (16–25 years) with chronic illness reviewed the program and proposed adaptations to improve its suitability for youth with chronic illness. In alignment with the SPIRIT Checklist, this paper outlines the protocol for a CONSORT-compliant, single-blind randomised controlled trial to test the efficacy of the adapted program, relative to a waitlist control, for improving self-compassion, wellbeing, distress, emotion regulation, coping and quality of life among young Australians with CMCs. Mechanisms of action and feasibility of SCO will be analysed using quantitative data and participant interviews, respectively. Finally, cost-utility will be analysed using health-related quality of life data.DiscussionThe SCO program could provide a scalable solution for improving psychological outcomes and quality of life among youth with chronic illness. The proposed trial will be the first to determine its efficacy for improving these outcomes, relative to waitlist control.Trial registrationThe trial was registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on the 11th April 2019, ACTRN12619000572167.Protocol version: Version 2, 21 December 2019.

The Effectiveness of Positive Thinking and Self-compassion Training on Cognitive Flexibility and Cognitive Failure in Girls With Primary Dysmenorrhea

Background: There is a relationship between the primary dysmenorrhea and psychological variables. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of positive thinking and self-compassion training on cognitive flexibility and cognitive failure in girls with primary dysmenorrhea. Materials &amp; Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study carried out on multiple groups with pretest-posttest design. The sample research included 63 females with primary dysmenorrhea. They were recruited among students in Rasht City, Iran, district one education administration (first and second grade of high school), and were assigned within two experimental groups (under positive thinking and self-compassion training) and one control group (without training). Data collection was carried out by using a screening questionnaire of symptoms before premenstrual, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and cognitive failure inventory of Broadbent and his colleagues (1982). Analysis of univariate covariance was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings showed that positive thinking and self-compassion training were effective in reducing the cognitive failure of women with primary dysmenorrhea (P&lt;0.005), and selfcompassion training had more effect on reducing cognitive failure than positive thinking. Still, positive thinking and self-compassion did not affect cognitive flexibility. Conclusion: Psychological interventions, including positive thinking and self-compassion training, especially the latter, can improve cognition among girls with primary dysmenorrhea and improve their mental health.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Self-Compassion Training on Social exchange styles among Divorce Applicant Couples

Effectiveness of Cognitive Self-Compassion Training on Social exchange styles among Divorce Applicant Couples

Social Emotional Learning for a College Classroom

Students learn in conjunction with others, and effective teaching and learning incorporates academic, social, and emotional components. Strategies, such as self-compassion training and gratitude training, can be implemented in a college classroom to promote mental health and academic flourishing. Self-compassion involves treating yourself with the same compassion that you would a best friend or loved one going through a difficult situation. Gratitude involves bringing mindful attention to the positive aspects in one’s life. Self-compassionate letter writing and a classroom gratitude box are effective strategies to improve social emotional learning, academic learning, and create an empathetic classroom environment. These techniques do not require much effort, time, or resources, but can lead to a multitude of student-level and classroom-level benefits if implemented consistently.

Positive Psychology of Malaysian University Students: Impacts of Engagement, Motivation, Self-Compassion, and Well-being on Mental Health

Malaysia plays a key role in education of the Asia Pacific, expanding its scholarly output rapidly. However, mental health of Malaysian students is challenging, and their help-seeking is low because of stigma. This study explored the relationships between mental health and positive psychological constructs (academic engagement, motivation, self-compassion, and well-being), and evaluated the relative contribution of each positive psychological construct to mental health in Malaysian students. An opportunity sample of 153 students completed the measures regarding these constructs. Correlation, regression, and mediation analyses were conducted. Engagement, amotivation, self-compassion, and well-being were associated with, and predicted large variance in mental health. Self-compassion was the strongest independent predictor of mental health among all the positive psychological constructs. Findings can imply the strong links between mental health and positive psychology, especially self-compassion. Moreover, intervention studies to examine the effects of self-compassion training on mental health of Malaysian students appear to be warranted.

Self-compassion training and psychological well-being of infertile female.

BackgroundThe empowerment of psychological well-being is an important and fundamental issue among infertile females.ObjectiveThe present study investigates the effect of teaching self-compassion on the psychological well-being of initial infertile women.Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test, 32 infertile women who were referred to the Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute during 2016-2017 were enrolled. The participants were randomly divided in two groups as control and experiment (n = 16/each). The participants only in the experimental group received 8 sessions of 90 min training (Self-Compassion Training). Ryff's psychological well-being questionnaire was applied (reliability coefficient = 0.82) and covariance analysis statistical test was used to test the research hypothesis.ResultsThere was a significant difference between the estimated mean scores for improving the psychological well-being of the participants in the experiment and control groups (p = 0.007), and the difference indicates that 72.7% of the covariance of the post-test scores is due to self-compassion intervention. Therefore, the intervention of self-compassion training affects the improvement of psychological well-being among infertile women. Also, the pre-test variable is significant with the effect of 94.2% (p = 0.006).ConclusionThe findings showed that teaching self-compassion to initial infertile women has an effect on their psychological well-being.

Self-compassion may reduce anxiety and depression in nursing students: a pathway through perceived stress

ObjectivesNursing students report high levels of anxiety and depression, which requires urgent attention. A growing amount of evidence indicates that self-compassion may indirectly (through perceived stress) and directly influence anxiety and depression, yet the research to date has not fully examined the reasons for this association. The present study examines the effects of self-compassion on anxiety and depression through perceived stress and may thus provide an innovative starting point for developing effective interventions for affected nursing students. Study designThis is a cross-sectional study. MethodsUsing structural equation modelling (SEM), we estimated the strength of the pathways between self-compassion, perceived stress and anxiety and depression among 1453 nursing students in Ningbo, China. The measurements included demographics, the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire and the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale. ResultsNursing students had an average score of 4.50 ± 2.44 on the Goldberg Anxiety Scale (GAS) and 3.58 ± 2.34 on the Goldberg Depression Scale (GDS), indicating high levels of anxiety and depression. The GAS and GDS scores were significantly different by the academic year, part-time employment and career prospects. The average scores for self-compassion and perceived stress were 38.99 ± 4.55 and 0.40 ± 0.14, respectively. The SEM results suggested that self-compassion was negatively associated with anxiety and depression (−0.44, P < 0.001). Perceived stress was positively associated with anxiety and depression (0.64, P < 0.001). Self-compassion was negatively associated with perceived stress (−0.65, P < 0.001). Self-compassion had no significant correlation with anxiety and depression in the effect of perceived stress (−0.14, P = 0.127). Thus, self-compassion indirectly influences anxiety and depression through perceived stress. ConclusionsSelf-compassion might reduce nursing students' anxiety and depression through perceived stress. Interventionists can consider using self-compassion training to alleviate perceived stress, anxiety and depression in nursing students.