The Effect of a Mindful Self-Compassion Intervention on Burden, Express Emotion and Mental Well-Being in Family Caregivers of Patients with Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to examine the impact of a mindful self-compassion intervention on burden, express emotion, and mental well-being in family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia. Standardized measures, including the ZARIT Caregiving Burden Scale, Expressed Emotion Scale and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, were administered at baseline, post-intervention. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess differences between the two groups. Significant reductions in caregiver burden, expressed emotion, and enhanced mental well-being in the intervention group compared to the control group at post-intervention. The results of this randomized controlled trial indicate that the mindful self-compassion intervention significantly reduces caregiver burden, expressed emotion, and improves mental well-being in family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia. These findings underscore the potential utility of mindful self-compassion interventions as effective support for this population, highlighting the importance of integrating such interventions into caregiver support programs.

Mindful self-compassion for psychological distress -associated with skin conditions: An online intervention study.

Background Chronic skin conditions are different from internal illnesses since they are often immediately visible to others. Patients feel self-conscious and often go through depression, anxiety, fear of stigma and a substantial psychological, social and economic impact. It is crucial for healthcare professionals to gather information about various strategies and psychosocial interventions that can be used to manage psychological distress associated with skin conditions and avoid it from being neglected amidst other health conditions. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) can be used for this. It is a resource-building mindfulness-based self-compassion training programme that uses a combination of personal development training and psychotherapy designed to enhance one's capacity for self-compassion by cultivating spacious awareness as a basis for compassionate action. Aims This study examined the impact of mindful self-compassion on depression, anxiety, stress, dermatology-specific quality of life, self-esteem and well-being in a sample of 88 adults aged 18-55 years suffering from chronic skin conditions. Methods This study used an experimental waitlist control design. Participants were recruited from two skin clinics using purposive sampling in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Pre-test data was collected through self-reported questionnaires on psychological distress, dermatology-specific quality of life, self-esteem and well-being. Participants who were experiencing psychological distress were randomly assigned to either the experimental or waitlist control group. The intervention named 'mindful self-compassion' was delivered through an online platform, twice a week, over a period of 4 weeks. Post-test data was collected later on all variables. Results ANCOVA was utilised where pre-test scores were used as covariates. Differences in pre-test and post-test scores between the intervention group and waitlist control group for depression, anxiety, stress, dermatology-specific quality of life, self-esteem and well-being were analysed. Participants in the intervention group were found to have lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress as compared to the waitlist control group and also had enhanced levels of self-esteem, well-being and dermatological quality of life. These differences were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). Limitations The sample reflected heterogenous skin conditions, not a specific skin condition. The study was quantitative in nature, and we could not use any qualitative methods to assess the subjective experience of participants. Due to time constraints, follow-up data could not be gathered from participants to assess long-term effects on participants. Conclusion Mindful self-compassion can be effectively used to manage psychological distress in skin conditions. Dermatologists can become acquainted with basic signs of mental distress and the importance of psychological interventions. By collaborating with mental health professionals, patients can be given holistic treatment.

Intervention Effect of Mindful Self-Compassion Training on Adolescents' Psychological Stress during the Pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 has been confirmed as a public health emergency and may give rise to adverse emotions such as anxiety and fear, and even stress reactions in serious cases. In a critical period of emotional development, adolescents experience more psychological stress fluctuations. Mindful self-compassion training is a simple and easy psychological assistance technology that has been recognized as effective, but it has not been applied to adolescents' psychological problems caused by the epidemic. Methods: From September 2021 to January 2022, adolescent volunteers were recruited in this study from four communities in Chongqing, China. A total of 107 adolescents volunteered to participate in this intervention experiment and were divided by the table of random numbers into 53 in the experiment group and 54 in the control group. The experiment group was intervened using mindful self-compassion training in combination with aerobic exercise for two months, while no intervention measures were taken in the control group. Stress Appraisal Measure, Profile of Mood States and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were the scales adopted to evaluate the effect before and after the intervention. Results: The experimental group had significantly lower negative mood, stress, sleep scores than the control group (P < 0.001) and significantly higher differences before and after treatment than the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The intervention in this study can effectively reduce the level of negative mood and stress in individuals, and improve their vitality and sleep quality and provides new insights for the implementation and improvement of psychological assistance technology.

Resilience, Mindfulness, and Self-Compassion: Tools for Nephrology Nurses.

Nephrology nurses are not immune to the effects of a stressful work environment. As a result, their emotional and psychological health can be at risk. In addition, there has been unprecedented stress and uncertainty working as nephrology nurses during the pandemic. These stressors can have negative effects on nurses' health, resulting in burnout and/or compassion fatigue, which can lead to nurses leaving nephrology or the nursing profession. Mindfulness has been suggested as a strategy to mitigate work-related stressors and build a more resilient workforce. Our experience suggests that combining self-compassion practices with mindfulness is also effective. Mindfulness may be beneficial for nephrology nurses, but its use does not negate the need for organizations to address the structural system issues that also contribute to burnout.

Clinical effects of mindfulness-based interventions for adults with a history of childhood maltreatment: a scoping review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Survivors of childhood maltreatment are at high risk for developing complex psychiatric disorders. Traditional treatments, including psychopharmacology, tend to be less efficacious for this population. This scoping review aimed to discuss existing empirical studies on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions for adult childhood trauma survivors, as well as the documented clinical challenges and adaptations for this population. RECENT FINDINGS: We reviewed 17 research articles that measured the effects of mindfulness-based interventions for adults with childhood maltreatment histories. These studies showed that mindfulness-based interventions can be beneficial for childhood maltreatment survivors to alleviate psychological symptoms including stress, anxiety, recurrent depression, substance use, and post-traumatic stress. Studies had a wide range of methodological quality and reported a broad range of effect sizes. The wide variety of outcome measures and control conditions made it difficult to compare across studies. SUMMARY: Mindfulness-based interventions can be beneficial for addressing psychopathology among adults with childhood maltreatment histories, although some adaptations can be necessary to address possible challenges this population are likely to encounter. More research is needed to specifically evaluate the clinical effects among childhood maltreatment survivors and to directly compare the effects among those with and without childhood maltreatment histories.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Attention Training Technique and Mindful Self-Compassion for Students With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety.

The Attention Training Technique (ATT) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) are two promising psychological interventions. ATT is a 12-min auditory exercise designed to strengthen attentional control and promote external focus of attention, while MSC uses guided meditation and exercises designed to promote self-compassion. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), a three-session intervention trial was conducted in which university students were randomly assigned to either an ATT-group (n = 40) or a MSC-group (n = 41). The students were not assessed with diagnostic interviews but had self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress. Participants listened to audiotapes of ATT or MSC before discussing in groups how to apply these principles for their everyday struggles. Participants also listened to audiotapes of ATT and MSC as homework between sessions. Participants in both groups showed significant reductions in symptoms of anxiety and depression accompanied by significant increases in mindfulness, self-compassion, and attention flexibility post-intervention. These results were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Improvement in attention flexibility was the only significant unique predictor of treatment response. The study supports the use of both ATT and MSC for students with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Further, it suggests that symptom improvement is related to changes in attention flexibility across both theoretical frameworks. Future studies should focus on how to strengthen the ability for attention flexibility to optimize treatment for emotional disorder.

Young adult cancer survivors' experiences with a mindful self-compassion (MSC) video-chat intervention: A qualitative analysis.

Young adult cancer survivors (YACS) are a vulnerable population that reports high anxiety, social isolation, and feelings of inadequacy after cancer treatment completion. Mindful self-compassion (MSC) provides strategies for coping with suffering. We explored how MSC practices addressed the psychosocial needs of a nationally recruited YACS sample (N=20, all female, age M=27.00, various cancer types) that participated in an 8-week MSC video-chat intervention. Descriptive qualitative analysis of the intervention recordings revealed three YACS' psychosocial needs: peer isolation, body concerns, and health-related anxiety. MSC practices addressed these in a number of ways including: self-reliance for emotional support, common humanity within the YACS community, gratitude, self-kindness, and acceptance. Meanwhile, the body scan practice initially triggered distress for some; implications are discussed.