Editorial: Self-compassion: From Neuroscience to Clinical Setting.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Poli A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9358683 | biostudies-literature | 2022
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Editorial: Self-compassion: From Neuroscience to Clinical Setting.
Poli Andrea A Gemignani Angelo A Woodruff Christopher Chad CC
Frontiers in psychology 20220725
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Project description:The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is currently the only self-report instrument to measure self-compassion. The SCS is widely used despite the limited evidence for the scale's psychometric properties, with validation studies commonly performed in college students. The current study examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of the SCS in a large representative sample from the community. The study was conducted in 1,736 persons, of whom 1,643 were included in the analyses. Besides the SCS, data was collected on positive and negative indicators of psychological functioning, as well as on rumination and neuroticism. Analyses included confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), exploratory factor analyses (EFA), and correlations. CFA showed that the SCS's proposed six-factor structure could not be replicated. EFA suggested a two-factor solution, formed by the positively and negatively formulated items respectively. Internal consistency was good for the two identified factors. The negative factor (i.e., sum score of the negatively formulated items) correlated moderately to strongly to negative affect, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, as well as to rumination and neuroticism. Compared to this negative factor, the positive factor (i.e., sum score of the positively formulated items) correlated weaker to these indicators, and relatively more strongly to positive affect. Results from this study do not justify the common use of the SCS total score as an overall indicator of self-compassion, and provide support for the idea, as also assumed by others, that it is important to make a distinction between self-compassion and self-criticism.
| S-EPMC4508060 | biostudies-other
Project description:Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in nursing home (NH) settings experience considerable work-related and personal stress. Self-compassion is a personal resource linked to improved stress coping and may be particularly relevant to health care workers. In this study, we explored NH CNA's experiences with self-compassion training based on their narrative replies. Twenty-two CNAs (100% female, mean age 48 years, 82% Black/African American) from 3 mid-sized, non-profit NHs in the Southeast US completed either a standard 8-week, 20 h self-compassion training or a 6-week, 6 h modified version designed for health care providers. Qualitative data analyses from post-training focus group discussions identified four themes pertaining to changes in: (1) stress management, (2) appreciation and support, (3) caregiver role, and (4) connection to others. Findings suggested self-compassion training is feasible and beneficial for the stressors that CNAs experience. In the era of COVID-19 and beyond, self-compassion training is a promising method to improve CNAs' well-being.
| S-EPMC8671334 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveOverweight and obesity are universal health challenges. Recent evidence emphasises the potential benefits of addressing psychological factors associated with obesity in dietary programmes. This pilot study investigated the efficacy and acceptability of a combined online and face-to-face dietary intervention that used self-compassion, goal-setting and self-monitoring to improve dietary behaviour, as well as psychological factors associated with dietary behaviour.DesignEmbedded mixed methods including a 4-week before-after trial and a one-on-one interview. Quantitative outcomes of the study were the levels of self-compassion; eating pathology; depression, anxiety and stress; and dietary intake. Qualitative outcomes were participants' perceptions about the acceptability of the intervention.SettingUNSW Kensington campus.ParticipantsFourteen participants with overweight and obesity aged between 18 and 55 years old.ResultsResults showed that the intervention significantly improved self-compassion and some aspects of dietary intake (e.g. decrease in energy intake) at Week Four compared with Week Zero. Some aspects of eating pathology also significantly decreased (e.g. Eating Concern). However, changes in self-compassion over the 4 weeks did not significantly predict Week Four study outcomes, except for level of stress. Most participants found self-compassion, goal-setting and self-monitoring to be essential for dietary behaviour change. However, participants also indicated that an online programme needed to be efficient, simple and interactive.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the current study provides preliminary but promising findings of an effective and acceptable combined online and face-to-face intervention that used self-compassion, goal-setting and self-monitoring to improve dietary habits. However, the results need to be examined in future long-term randomised controlled trials.
| S-EPMC10200632 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCompassion-focused imagery (CFI) can be an effective emotion-regulation technique but can create threat-focused responses in some individuals. However, these findings have been based on tasks involving receiving compassion from others.AimsThis study sought to compare responses CFI involving self-compassion to relaxation and a control task, and to see whether any threat-responses to self-compassion and relaxation decrease with practice.Method25 participants with depression/anxiety symptoms and high self-criticism and/or low self-compassion engaged in three tasks (control task, relaxation imagery, and CFI) at three or four separate testing sessions, every three days. Heart-rate variability (HRV) was used to explore group-level differences between tasks. Additionally, we identified how many individuals showed a clinically significant change in HRV in response to compassion (compared to baseline) and how many showed such a change during relaxation (compared to baseline).ResultsDuring session 1, more individuals had a clinically significant increase in HRV in response to CFI (56%) than in response to relaxation (44%), and fewer had a clinically significant decrease in HRV during CFI (16%) than during relaxation (28%). Comparing the group as a whole, no significant differences between tasks were seen. Repeated sessions led to fewer positive responses to CFI, perhaps reflecting habituation/boredom.ConclusionsThese preliminary findings suggest that in high self-critics (those most likely to find self-compassion difficult), self-compassionate imagery is no more challenging than standard relaxation tasks. For both compassion and relaxation, some individuals respond positively and others negatively. For those who are not benefiting, practice alone is not sufficient to improve response. Effects may differ for other compassion tasks.Trial registrationTrial number: NCT04647318.
| S-EPMC9904495 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Volunteers have played an important role by supporting essential services that have been overwhelmed during the most critical moments of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Hence, nonprofit organizations may be interested in preventing negative consequences of these volunteers' exposure to potentially traumatic events. The aim of this cross-sectional study was twofold. First, to examine to what extent self-compassion and self-determination would contribute to differentiating between volunteers with different levels of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and post-traumatic growth. Second, to identify the best predictors of the most extreme levels of each outcome. Participants were 211 Spanish Red Cross volunteers (60.7% women), who completed a survey. They were separately classified into three groups (low, medium, and high) according to the 33rd and 66th percentile scores on each outcome (compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and post-traumatic growth). Univariate analyses of variance and post-hoc comparisons revealed that self-compassion and self-determination contributed differently to distinguishing between levels of each outcome. Volunteers lowest in compassion fatigue stood out for showing fewer non-compassionate strategies and more mindfulness than the other groups. Moreover, those higher in satisfaction compassion also showed lower use of unhealthy strategies and higher scores in all other predictive variables. Volunteers highest in post-traumatic growth showed higher self-kindness and satisfaction of all psychological needs. Binary logistic regressions allowed for the identification of predictors of belonging to the most extreme groups. The protective factors may be useful to guide volunteers' self-care and help them thrive in the face of critical service demands.
| S-EPMC8409613 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAs the workload of clinical nursing continues to increase, the mental health of nurses has emerged as a critical area of concern. Self-compassion, moral resilience, and work engagement are essential components in enhancing the mental health of clinical nurses. Although it is well-established that self-compassion significantly contributes to improved work engagement, there remains a notable lack of research investigating the specific mechanisms through which self-compassion influences work engagement, particularly from the perspective of moral resilience. This study aimed to address this gap by examining the relationships among self-compassion, moral resilience, and work engagement in clinical nurses, while also validating the mediating role of moral resilience in the relationship between self-compassion and work engagement.MethodsThis study utilized a convenience sampling method to conduct a cross-sectional online survey involving 844 clinical nurses from four tertiary A hospitals in Xi'an, China, between January and March 2024. Participants completed self-report questionnaires that included the Self-Compassion Scale, the Rushton Moral Resilience Scale, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis H rank-sum test, Spearman correlation analysis, and the SPSS PROCESS macro.ResultsA significant positive correlation was observed between clinical nurses' self-compassion and moral resilience (r = 0.700, p < 0.01). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was identified between self-compassion and work engagement (r = 0.455, p < 0.01). Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between moral resilience and work engagement (r = 0.510, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis indicated that moral resilience partially mediates the relationship between clinical nurses' self-compassion and work engagement. The overall effect of self-compassion on work engagement (β = 0.493) consists of both a direct effect (β = 0.251) and an indirect effect mediated by moral resilience (β = 0.242). Notably, the mediating effect accounts for 49.09% of the total effect.ConclusionClinical nurses' moral resilience plays a mediating role in the relationship between self-compassion and work engagement. Nursing managers should prioritize fostering and enhancing the self-compassion and moral resilience of clinical nurses to effectively elevate their levels of work engagement. These targeted interventions can ultimately improve not only the mental health and professional well-being of nurses but also the overall quality of care delivered in medical institutions.
| S-EPMC11788411 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Several new approaches for treatment of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders are currently under investigation, including the use of rehabilitation training strategies, which are often combined with electrical and/or pharmacological modulation of spinal locomotor circuitries. While these approaches show great promise in the laboratory setting, there still exists a large gap in knowledge on how to transfer these treatments to daily clinical use. This thematic series presents a cross section of cutting edge approaches with the goal of transferring basic neuroscience principles from the laboratory to the proverbial "bedside".
| S-EPMC3565930 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Self-compassion is natural, trainable and multi-faceted human capacity. To date there has been little research into the role of culture in influencing the conceptual structure of the underlying construct, the relative importance of different facets of self-compassion, nor its relationships to cultural values. This study employed a cross-cultural design, with 4,124 participants from 11 purposively sampled datasets drawn from different countries. We aimed to assess the relevance of positive and negative items when building the self-compassion construct, the convergence among the self-compassion components, and the possible influence of cultural values. Each dataset comprised undergraduate students who completed the "Self-Compassion Scale" (SCS). We used a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approach to the multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) model, separating the variability into self-compassion components (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness), method (positive and negative valence), and error (uniqueness). The normative scores of the Values Survey Module (VSM) in each country, according to the cultural dimensions of individualism, masculinity, power distance, long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance, and indulgence, were considered. We used Spearman coefficients (r s) to assess the degree of association between the cultural values and the variance coming from the positive and negative items to explain self-compassion traits, as well as the variance shared among the self-compassion traits, after removing the method effects produced by the item valence. The CFA applied to the MTMM model provided acceptable fit in all the samples. Positive items made a greater contribution to capturing the traits comprising self-compassion when the long-term orientation cultural value was higher (r s = 0.62; p = 0.042). Negative items did not make significant contributions to building the construct when the individualism cultural value was higher, but moderate effects were found (r s = 0.40; p = 0.228). The level of common variance among the self-compassion trait factors was inversely related to the indulgence cultural value (r s = -0.65; p = 0.030). The extent to which the positive and negative items contribute to explain self-compassion, and that different self-compassion facets might be regarded as reflecting a broader construct, might differ across cultural backgrounds.
| S-EPMC6308155 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth, and depression is a strong proximal predictor of adolescent suicide. It is important to identify psychological factors that may protect against suicide ideation in depressed adolescents. Self-compassion may be such a factor. Converging evidence indicates the inverse association between self-compassion and suicide ideation, but the neural mechanisms underlying their link remain unknown. Because self-referential caudate activity is associated with both self-compassion and suicide ideation, its functional connectivity might explain their relationship. In this study, we examined the relationship between self-compassion and caudate functional connectivity during self-appraisals, a typical self-referential paradigm, and their associations with suicide ideation in both depressed and healthy youth. In the scanner, 79 depressed youth and 36 healthy controls evaluated, from various perspectives, whether phrases they heard were self-descriptive. Self-compassion and suicide ideation were rated with self-report and interview-based measures. We found that self-compassion was associated with stronger left caudate functional connectivity with bilateral posterior superior temporal sulcus/temporoparietal junction, the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and the left middle occipital gyrus during positive versus negative self-appraisals. Stronger left caudate connectivity with the left MTG explained the association between higher self-compassion and lower suicide ideation, even controlling for non-suicide ideation depression severity, anxiety severity, and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior. The findings suggest that the left caudate to MTG connectivity during positive versus negative self-referential processing could be a biomarker to be targeted by neural stimulation interventions for reducing suicide ideation in depressed youth, combined with self-compassion interventions.
| S-EPMC11335956 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Health care professionals (HCPs) are a population at risk for high levels of burnout and compassion fatigue. The aim of the present systematic review was to give an overview on recent literature about mindfulness and compassion characteristics of HCPs, while exploring the effectiveness of techniques, involving the two aspects, such as MBSR or mindfulness intervention and compassion fatigue-related programs. A search of databases, including PubMed and PsycINFO, was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the methodological quality for this systematic review was appraised using AMSTAR-2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews-2). The number of articles that met the inclusion criteria was 58 (4 RCTs, 24 studies with pre-post measurements, 12 cross-sectional studies, 11 cohort studies and 7 qualitative studies). MBSR intervention was effective at improving, and maintaining, mindfulness and self-compassion levels and to improve burnout, depression, anxiety, stress. The most frequently employed interventional strategies were mindfulness-related trainings that were effective at improving mindfulness and self-compassion, but not compassion fatigue, levels. Compassion-related interventions have been shown to improve self-compassion, mindfulness and interpersonal conflict levels. Mindfulness was effective at improving negative affect and compassion fatigue, while compassion satisfaction may be related to cultivation of positive affect. This systematic review summarized the evidence regarding mindfulness- and compassion-related qualities of HCPs as well as potential effects of MBSR, mindfulness-related and compassion-related interventions on professionals' psychological variables like mindfulness, self-compassion and quality of life. Combining structured mindfulness and compassion cultivation trainings may enhance the effects of interventions, limit the variability of intervention protocols and improve data comparability of future research.
| S-EPMC7412718 | biostudies-literature