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The Role of Mindfulness and Loving-Kindness Meditation in Cultivating Self-Compassion and Other-Focused Concern in Health Care Professionals
Abstract
Therapists and other health professionals might benefit from interventions that increase their self-compassion and other-focused concern since these may strengthen their relationships with clients, reduce the chances of empathetic distress fatigue and burnout and increase their well-being. This article aimed to review the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and loving-kindness mediation (LKM) in cultivating clinicians’ self-compassion and other-focused concern. Despite methodological limitations, the studies reviewed offer some support to the hypothesis that MBIs can increase self-compassion in health professionals, but provide a more mixed picture with regard to MBIs’ affect on other-focused concern. The latter finding may in part be due to ceiling effects; therefore future research, employing more sensitive measures, would be beneficial. Turning to LKM, there is encouraging preliminary evidence from non-clinician samples that LKM, or courses including LKM and related practices, can increase self-compassion and other-focused concern. As well as extending the LKM evidence base to health professionals and using more robust, large-scale designs, future research could usefully seek to identify the characteristics of people who find LKM challenging and the supports necessary to teach them LKM safely.
... However, entrepreneurs' decision enrichment which makes them either prosperous or not, is based on their self-compassion attributes (Neff et al., 2018). Self-compassion may thrive either way; inwards (i.e., self-understanding, acceptance and self-love) or outwards (i.e., affection towards relations and material things like business) (Boellinghaus et al., 2014). F-OSB entrepreneurs who have inward compassion are most likely to think of their own mental and physical health (Boellinghaus et al., 2014). ...
... Self-compassion may thrive either way; inwards (i.e., self-understanding, acceptance and self-love) or outwards (i.e., affection towards relations and material things like business) (Boellinghaus et al., 2014). F-OSB entrepreneurs who have inward compassion are most likely to think of their own mental and physical health (Boellinghaus et al., 2014). Thus, they prioritize themselves and decide to quit the business, which results in the F-OSB's close down. ...
The present study intends to investigate the influence of entrepreneurs' self-compassion (i.e., self-judgment, self-isolation, and mindfulness) on family-owned small business (F-OSB) performance during the pandemic. A conceptual model with self-judgment, self-isolation, mindfulness (formative constructs), and F-OSB performance (reflective construct) was based on three hypotheses. Primary data (n=227) was collected from entrepreneurs designated as CEO, Chairman, or managing directors in F-OSBs in Pakistan. The study used Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) through Smart-PLS software version 3.3.2. First, the reliability and validity of the constructs were tested. In the next step bootstrapping to test the hypothesis was implemented. Self-control theory is used to explain the conceptual model. Results revealed that self-judgment and self-isolation have a significant negative while mindfulness has a significant positive association with F-OSB performance. The research contributed to literature and theory and has a post-pandemic practical contribution. First, the study filled a research gap by investigating the relationship between self-compassion and F-OSB performance. Second, this study contributed to the self-control theory by explaining the aforementioned relationship in the F-OSB context. Third, the results implied that, along with vaccination and financial support by the governments, F-OSB entrepreneurs must be provided psychological training sessions to cope with the negative effects of self-judgment and self-isolation due to lockdowns. Thus, F-OSB entrepreneurs not only perform well after COVID and become psychologically strong to take vigilant and calculated initiative for their businesses' and families' betterment.
... Similarly, Boellinghaus et al. (2013) found that psychological therapists in training who had previously attended a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course and then took part in a loving-kindness meditation (LKM) course consisting on 6-h-long group sessions reported improvements in self-awareness, self-compassion, compassion toward others, and beneficial effects on their therapeutic skills. Based on a literature review, Boellinghaus et al. (2014) have suggested that cultivating self-compassion and other-focused concern through mindfulness-based interventions and LKM practices could potentially reduce burnout, increase well-being, and enhance relationships with clients among healthcare professionals. ...
... Our research contributes to a growing body of research suggesting that self-compassion practices could reduce stress levels, self-criticism, compassion fatigue, and burnout among healthcare professionals and therapists in training, as well as enhancing their self-care skills and psychological well-being (Beaumont et al., , 2017(Beaumont et al., , 2021Boellinghaus et al., 2013Boellinghaus et al., , 2014Finlay-Jones et al., 2015;Irving et al., 2009;Shapiro & Carlson, 2017;Yela et al., 2020a, Yela et al., 2020b. Similar beneficial effects have been found for healthcare professionals who are involved in mindfulness practices, especially the MBSR program. ...
Objectives
This study compares the effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) programs in improving mindfulness and self-compassion skills among clinical and health psychology trainees, and analyzes their effects on anxiety and depression.
Methods
A total of 88 participants were allocated to three conditions: MBSR training (n = 26), MSC training (n = 34), and control group (n = 28). Their levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, anxiety, and depression were measured at pre- and post-intervention.
Results
Compared to the control group, participants in the MBSR training showed significant improvements in mindfulness and reductions in anxiety and depression from pre to post. Participants in the MSC training, compared to the control group, reported significant increases in mindfulness and self-compassion. We observed that anxiety levels remained stable in the MSC group, while participants in the control group reported an increase in their scores over time. The reduction in depression scores observed among MSC participants did not differ, however, from that observed among members of the control group. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and anxiety scores presented similar trajectories in MBSR and MSC groups, while the MBSR group demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in depression levels compared to the MSC group.
Conclusions
Incorporating these programs into the psychologists’ training should be considered, as desirable skills such as mindfulness and self-compassion are enhanced. MBSR and MSC could contribute to prevent mental health problems in this population.
... Studies show that midwives have difficulty distancing themselves from the experience of assisting during stillbirth, and that it is often a life changing experience for them [6,35]. Midwives who are exhausted by the emotional compassion they show will later be unable to convey the same authentic compassion towards women under their care [36,37]. ...
Providing care to a woman after a Life-Limiting Fetal Conditions (LLFC) diagnosis is a difficult experience for midwives. This study’s aim is to describe the experience of midwives assisting in births following an LLFC diagnosis. It is a qualitative study using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 midwives with experience in caring for women giving birth following an LLFC diagnosis. The data was analyzed through coding using the MAXQDA tool. The main theme emerging from the experience of midwives concerned difficulty in interacting with the woman giving birth. The analysis singled out four subthemes containing the most significant issues arising from the experience of midwives in caring for a woman giving birth to a lethally ill child: in relation with the woman giving birth; in relation with the child and the family; in relation with oneself; and in relation with the workplace. Midwives should have access not only to solid knowledge about this question, but also to courses developing skills in dealing with difficult situations, in coping with stress, in expressing compassion and, most importantly, in communicating with women and their families in such difficult circumstances.
... Compassion-based interventions have been delivered in organizations (Andersson et al., 2022) and in different caring-focused settings, showing a potential to improve care quality, strengthen relationships with clients, protect against burnout, and increase professionals' well-being (Boellinghaus et al., 2014;Delaney, 2018;Maratos et al., 2019;Matos et al., 2022a;Sansó et al., 2017). This kind of interventions aim to cultivate compassion towards the self and towards others. ...
BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is highly noticeable among caregivers working in residential youth care (RYC). Maintaining and enhancing caregivers’ professional mental health and quality of life is crucial to achieve effective outcomes in RYC. Nevertheless, trainings to protect caregivers’ mental health are scarce. Considering the buffering effect over negative psychological outcomes, compassion training could be beneficial in RYC.
OBJECTIVE: This study is part of a Cluster Randomized Trial examining the effects of the Compassionate Mind Training for Caregivers (CMT-Care Homes), looking at professional quality of life and mental health of caregivers working in RYC.
METHODS: The sample was composed of 127 professional caregivers from 12 Portuguese residential care homes (RCH). RCHs were randomly allocated at experimental (N = 6) and control group (N = 6). Participants were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3 and 6-month follow-ups, answering to the Professional Quality of Life Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Program effects were tested using a two-factor mixed MANCOVA, with self-critical attitude and education degree as covariates.
RESULTS: MANCOVA showed a significant Time×Group interaction effects (F = 1.890, p = .014; η_p^2 = .050), with CMT-Care Homes participants presenting lower scores on burnout, anxiety, and depression at 3 and 6-months follow-ups, when compared with controls. Participants that received CMT-Care Homes considered the program useful to deal with pandemic threats and with youth during lockdowns.
CONCLUSION: This study shows the benefits of the CMT-Care Homes in helping professional caregivers reducing burnout, anxiety and depression, and dealing with pandemic challenges in RYC.
... In this state, the individuals will be deeply committed to the well-being of all the creations of God and develop god-like traits, which in Buddhism are defined as the divine states (Jayawardena-Willis et al., 2021;Dhammananda, 2002). Other scholars of spirituality, namely Pace (2013), Haidt (2003), Boellinghaus et al. (2014), and Jayawardena-Willis et al. (2021), highlighted that the development of divine states is not only confined to self but also to others, and society at large. ...
In this phenomenological study, the author proposes a spiritual triple bottom line framework (STBL) to develop and measure the three bottom lines: individual prosperity, impact on people, and impact on the planet through the lens of spirituality. The results are presented as an interpretation of the individual's perceptions of spirituality and their spiritual experiences. The result comprises of three themes of Spirituality and its nomological linkage i.e., inner sustainability with a triple-bottom-line framework (external sustainability). The themes are: the source of spirituality, the process of experiencing spirituality, and the outcome of being spiritual.
... Various meta-analyses show that mindfulness-based interventions can relieve stress, anxiety, depression, burnout and pain [26][27][28]. In addition, studies support the use of mindfulness and compassionbased programs for staff involved in patient care [29][30][31]. Particularly in the field of oncology, a significant positive influence on life satisfaction and a reduction of compassion fatigue has been demonstrated [32]. In palliative care, research has shown that engagement with spirituality and meaning in Buddhist-leaning programs leads to improvements in the areas of compassion for the dying, self-confidence, job satisfaction and workload [12,33,34]. ...
Background:
Palliative care teams work under challenging conditions in a sensitive setting with difficult tasks. The multi-professional team can play an important role. Mindfulness and compassion-based practices are used to build resilience. Our aim was to examine (1) feasibility and acceptability, (2) satisfaction and impact, and (3) opportunities and limitations of a mindfulness course.
Methods:
An eight-week mindfulness and compassion course was delivered in a university-based specialized palliative care unit. A meditation teacher provided preparatory evening sessions and meditation exercises that could be integrated into daily activities. The scientific analysis of the course was based on a questionnaire developed for quality assessmentThe first two parts consisted of demographic, Likert-type, and free-text items. Part 3 consisted of learning objectives that were self-assessed after finishing the course (post-then). In the analysis, we used descriptive statistics, qualitative content analysis, and comparative self-assessment.
Results:
Twenty four employees participated. 58% of participants attended 4 or more of the 7 voluntary mindfulness days. 91% expressed moderate to high satisfaction and would recommend the palliative care program to others. Three main categories emerged in the qualitative content analysis: providing feedback on the course, personal impact, and impact on professional life. The opportunity for self-care in a professional context was highlighted. Learning gains (CSA Gain) were high (38.5-49.4%) in terms of knowledge and techniques, moderate (26.2-34.5%) in terms of implementation of learned skills, and rather low (12.7-24.6%) in terms of changes to attitude.
Conclusion:
Our evaluation shows that the participants of a mindfulness and compassion course considered it as a feasible and welcome tool to familiarize a multi-professional palliative care team with self-care techniques.
Trial registration:
Internal Clinical Trial Register of the Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, No. 2018074763 (registered retrospectively on 30th July 2018).
... [7][8][9][10] These endeavours have led to MBPs being successfully implemented in mainstream contexts through skillful tailoring to a range of populations (including staff and leaders in workplaces, children and adults in schools and colleges, and diverse clinical groups), and for a range of contexts (including health, education, workplaces and the justice system). [11][12][13] Recently, there has been growing interest in the potential of expanding research and practice to the ways MBPs could support the development of inner resources including interpersonal competencies such as emotional intelligence, empathy and compassion, [14][15][16][17][18] and collective, prosocial action responding to complex social challenges such as social inequity, and the climate and nature emergencies. [19][20][21][22][23] This shift in focus from outcomes relating to the individual and self towards 'bigger than self' issues is what this review seeks to explore and examine. ...
Introduction
Mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) have an established, growing evidence base as interventions to optimise health, well-being and performance of individual participants. Emerging evidence suggests that MBPs also enhance prosociality, encouraging individuals to contribute to positive social change. This study focuses on the potential of MBPs to facilitate development of participants’ inner resources that support prosocial shifts. The review seeks to detect shifts in MBP benefit from individual toward ‘bigger than self’, informing and empowering individual and collective responses to complex societal and global issues. The review aims to map current literature on MBPs and social change, into a descriptive overview with commentary on quality, trends, theoretical models and gaps, and on how training in MBPs potentially enables individual and collective responses to societal and global issues. Recommendations for future directions for researchers seeking to advance this evidence base, and practitioners developing innovative MBPs for this purpose will be provided.
Methods and analysis
A scoping review of peer-reviewed literature will be undertaken and reported on according to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidance. Systematic searches of four scientific databases will be undertaken to identify potentially eligible articles published from all time to current date. Data will be extracted using an extraction template and analysed descriptively using narrative synthesis.
Ethics and dissemination
This scoping review involves no human participants, so ethics is not required. Findings will be shared through professional networks, conference presentations and journal publication.
... To some degree, these individuals might also be protected from psychological risks associated with a high susceptibility to emotional contagion 33 , but an extremely low level of affective empathy could completely hinder the empathic process 15 , resulting in empathic dysfunction 65 . Longitudinal studies are thus needed to clarify these relationships: Previous results of mindfulness-based interventions on trait empathy were mixed (e.g., a meta-analysis that indicated no effects in counselors 23 , and conversely reviews on effects in other healthcare professionals seemed more promising 39,67 ). However, taking our cross-sectional results into account, a particular emphasis on tailor-made mindfulness-interventions and multidimensional outcome measures could result in more robust findings and potentially uncover specific pathways in interventional studies as well. ...
Empathy enables us to understand the emotions of others and is an important determinant of prosocial behavior. Investigating the relationship between mindfulness and empathy could therefore provide important insights into factors that promote interpersonal understanding and pathways that contribute to prosocial behavior. As prior studies have yielded only inconsistent results, this study extended previous findings and investigated for the first time the associations of two important factors of mindfulness (Self-regulated Attention [SRA] and Orientation to Experience [OTE]) with two commonly proposed components of empathy (cognitive empathy and affective empathy). Using a community sample of N = 552 German-speaking adults, the two mindfulness factors were differentially associated with cognitive and affective empathy. SRA correlated positively with cognitive empathy (r = 0.44; OTE: r = 0.09), but OTE correlated negatively with affective empathy (r = − 0.27; SRA: r = 0.11). This negative association was strongest for one specific aspect of affective empathy, emotional contagion. Revisiting previously reported mediating effects of emotion regulation, we found that emotional awareness mediated the associations with both components of empathy, but only for SRA. Together, these findings imply that mindfulness benefits the cognitive understanding of others’ emotions via two distinct pathways: by promoting emotional awareness (SRA) and by limiting the undue impact of others’ emotions on oneself (OTE).
... Kindness combined with love characterizes individuals that value their close relationships (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and is described as the ability to accept all parts of them, including positive and negative parts, as an unconditional love without desire for people to be a certain way (Salzberg, 1995). This predisposition relates to higher levels of acts of kindness, being compassionate toward others and cultivate an attitude of unconditional love (Boellinghaus et al., 2014), while neuroimaging studies suggest that it enhances activation of brain areas that are involved in emotional processing and empathy (Hofmann et al., 2011). Acceptance is a key concept in adult friendship and is achieved through self-validation, i.e., a sense that the friend provides reassurance and encouragement resulting to maintaining a positive self-image (Fehr & Harasymchuk, 2018), social comparison with friends and similarity with them and leads to higher levels of positive experiences and satisfaction in friendships (Wrzus et al., 2017). ...
Since the birth of positive psychology, character strengths-based interventions aiming at promoting wellbeing have become very popular. However, there are only a few previous studies focusing on the associations of character strengths with social wellbeing, e.g., positive outcomes in close relationships. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between character strengths and positive adult friendship outcomes (i.e., friendship quality, satisfaction, and number of friends). The effects of age and gender were also examined. A total of 3051 adults aged from 18 to 65 years participated in the study. The Values-InAction Inventory of Strengths-120 and the McGill Friendship Questionnaires (measuring friendship quality and satisfaction) were used. The results indicated that all character strengths positively correlated with friendship variables, while specific strengths predicted adult friendship quality (love, kindness, honesty, and curiosity), satisfaction (kindness, honesty, modesty, spirituality, love, and bravery), and number of friends (curiosity and persistence). Age, gender, and gender of the friend dyad (same and opposite-sex friendships) moderated only three of these effects. Practical implications for designing and implementing strengths-based positive friendship interventions in several contexts, such as university, workplace, and counselling are discussed.
... Develop cognitive flexibility to notice, accept, and embrace past social threats Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 2009 Mindfulness meditation Bring awareness to the present, which is typically absent of social threat Black & Slavich, 2016;Creswell, Pacilio, Lindsay, & Brown, 2014;Dahl et al., 2015 Loving-kindness and compassion meditation Enhance positive emotional states of kindness and compassion toward others Boellinghaus et al., 2014;Hofmann, Grossman, & Hinton, 2011 Forgiveness therapy Reduce negative thoughts and emotions induced by offenders/aggressors Akhtar & Barlow, 2018;Worthington, 2013 Self-distancing Reduce the negativity of past aversive events by increasing distance/perspective of social safety and threat. Indeed, as described by Slavich (2020a), disruptions in social cognition and behavior are a core feature of all major forms of psychopathology, making the focus on disrupted social cognition and behavior potentially critical for therapeutic success. ...
Classic theories of stress and health are largely based on assumptions regarding how different psychosocial stressors influence biological processes that in turn affect human health and behavior. Although theoretically rich, this work has yielded little consensus and led to numerous conceptual, measurement, and reproducibility issues. Social Safety Theory aims to address these issues by using the primary goal and regulatory logic of the human brain and immune system as the basis for specifying the social-environmental situations to which these systems should respond most strongly to maximize reproductive success and survival. This analysis gave rise to the integrated, multi-level formulation described herein, which transforms thinking about stress biology and provides a biologically based, evolutionary account for how and why experiences of social safety and social threat are strongly related to health, well-being, aging, and longevity. In doing so, the theory advances a testable framework for investigating the biopsychosocial roots of health disparities as well as how health-relevant biopsychosocial processes crystalize over time and how perceptions of the social environment interact with childhood microbial environment, birth cohort, culture, air pollution, genetics, sleep, diet, personality, and self-harm to affect health. The theory also highlights several interventions for reducing social threat and promoting resilience.
... These meditations are exercises to strengthen the emotional state of kindness and compassion, and their clinical benefits are supported by neuroendocrine studies, neuroimaging studies, and preliminary clinical studies [13]. Given the work specificity of healthcare professionals, it has been suggested that both mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation can help reduce their compassion fatigue and burnout, increase their well-being, and strengthen their relationships with clients [14,15]. ...
The importance of medical personnel’s mental health is emphasized in the COVID-19 era. The characteristics of traditional Korean medicine (KM) may affect the mental health of nursing staff working at KM clinics. In this case series, we report the first attempt to apply an online mindfulness program to the nursing staff in a KM clinic in Korea. For three female nursing assistants, an online mindfulness program consisting of five sessions was offered for two months. After the program, a decrease in emotional labor was observed in two participants, and a decrease in the level of burnout was observed in all participants. One participant showed an increase in their emotional labor level, which was associated with an increase in deep acting. The participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with this program in terms of recommendations for peers and willingness to participate again. As this report is a case series, larger studies are needed to fully evaluate the benefits of the program on emotional labor and burnout of KM clinic nursing staff. However, the potential benefits of emotional labor and burnout, high satisfaction, and some challenges identified in this case series can be considered in future extensions and modifications of the program.
... Whilst it is beyond the scope of this paper to explore all forms of potential therapist personal practice(s), these include: (a) Self-Practice/Self-Reflection (SP/SR) programmes, where therapists practice therapeutic strategies on themselves, reflect on their experiences and learn 'from the inside out' [9][10][11]; (b) meditationbased programmes, where therapists engage in formal and sustained mindfulness and compassion practices [12,13]; and (c) more body-oriented programmes such as yoga and qigong [14,15]. All of these personal practices have the potential to improve not only therapist self-care but also therapeutic efficacy, possibly via processes of improved intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness and compassion [12,16,17]. ...
Traditional Martial Arts practice(s) can be construed as forms of fully embodied Compassionate Mind Training (CMT). Integration of these body-mind systems can be a powerful means to cultivate and entrain important therapist competencies in compassionate engagement and action. Through such training and personal practice, compassion-focused therapists can develop and enhance their abilities to stimulate and access compassionate motivation at a deeply embodied level. Martial arts-informed CMT thus has the potential to afford therapists greater sensitivity, attunement, distress tolerance, courage and compassionate responsiveness, particularly in difficult therapeutic encounters such as alliance ruptures.
... Mindfulness can be seen as a precondition for developing self-compassion. Mindfulness necessitates becoming aware of one's suffering and to respond to it compassionately and appreciatively (Boellinghaus et al., 2014;Gilbert, 2009;Neff & Tirch, 2013). Research has revealed that participants in mindfulness-based training programs also showed significant growth in selfcompassion (e.g., Chiesa & Serretti, 2009;Felton et al., 2015;Shapiro et al., 2007). ...
Objectives
The present longitudinal field study investigated whether hiking the Camino Francés strengthened self-compassion and tested covered distance, hikers’ motives, and walking alone vs. with other hikers as predictors of the increase.
Method
In the prospective main study with 104 hikers, 67.3% female, M = 36.3 years (SD = 14.2), change was measured by the difference between the first measurement taken on the way and the second measurement at arrival. Additionally, 21 participants, 52.4% female, M = 34.3 years (SD = 14), were recruited upon arrival and reported their actual and their retrospectively rated self-compassion at the start of their tour. Two follow-ups were conducted after 3 weeks and 6 months. Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) along with measures for mood and life satisfaction.
Results
An increase in self-compassion was observed with d = 0.22 (p = 0.024) in the prospective data, and d = 0.56 (p = 0.018) in the retrospective data, which persisted throughout the follow-ups. In the prospective study, self-compassion was a stronger predictor of mood across time than vice versa. The increase in self-compassion was stronger in participants who walked longer distances (β = .25) and underwent a critical life event (β = .21).
Conclusions
The results suggest long-distance walking as a promising additional means to strengthen self-compassion that could be integrated into compassion training programs. Future research should replicate the observed change across settings and related constructs, determine its causes, and investigate the interdependence of walking and meditation practices in stimulating self-compassion.
Preregistration
This study was not preregistered.
... Furthermore, developing self-compassion may be equally important, as it enables professionals to handle being in close contact with the suffering of others (Wiklund Gustin and Wagner, 2013). Boellinghaus et al. (2014) in their review concluded that interventions that support professionals to cultivate selfcompassion, as well as other focused concern, have great potential for strengthening relationships with clients, reducing the chances of compassion fatigue and increasing well-being. Moreover, found that self-compassion may act as an important protective factor against compassion fatigue, therefore it may be an important part of interventions for reducing compassion fatigue. ...
Introduction
The aim of this study was to examine the short- and long-term effectiveness of the novel Emotion-focused Training for Helping Professions on levels of compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress & burnout), self-criticism, self-compassion, and compassion for others.
Methods
A randomized controlled trial study was conducted. A total of 253 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group attended a 14-day online training. The control group did not perform any tasks.
Results
Results showed that after completing the intervention the experimental group participants reported significantly lower scores for secondary traumatic stress, burnout and self-criticism, and higher scores for self-compassion and that these lasted for two months after completion. Compared to the control group, the experimental group participants had significantly lower scores of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, self-criticism, and higher scores of self-compassion after the intervention. No significant changes were found for the control group, except a significant increase in time in the reported score for one dimension of burnout – exhaustion.
Discussion
The novel EFT-HP training was shown to be effective in reducing levels of compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress and burnout) and self-criticism and increasing self-compassion.
... Furthermore, psychotherapists who participated in the MCBI showed higher levels of self-reported empathy at the follow-up evaluation. These results are consistent with recent studies in which the effects of MCBI on self-reported empathy did not appear until the follow-up evaluation, suggesting that they need more time to be assimilated and generalized to the individual's interpersonal sphere in order to be identified (Bellosta-Batalla et al., 2020;Boellinghaus et al., 2014). Results are in line with a recent systematic review about the effects of MCBI on empathy in psychotherapists (Garrote-Caparrós et al., 2022), although it is important to point out that the intersubjective nature of empathy requires a more in-depth analysis of the effects of MCBI on this variable. ...
In recent years, mindfulness and compassion-based interventions (MCBI) have been found to beneficially influence the acquisition of essential skills in psychotherapy and are a promising way to improve relationships with patients. In this regard, new studies are needed to evaluate the effects of MCBI on psychotherapists and their patients and to analyze the influence of these effects on the processes and outcomes of psychotherapy. In this randomized controlled trial, we evaluate the efficacy of an MCBI in psychotherapists' mindfulness skills and self-reported empathy, as well as its indirect effect on patients (patient-reported psychotherapists' empathy, therapeutic bond, and symptomatology). Finally, we present a multilevel structural equation model (MSEM) to analyze the relationship between these variables in psychotherapists and their patients. A group of psychotherapists (N = 63) were randomized to an MCBI or an active control group (empathy diary). We assessed psychotherapists and their patients (N = 121) before and after the MCBI and at follow-up evaluation. Psychotherapists' results showed an increase in psychotherapeutic mindfulness skills (PMS) after the MCBI and at follow-up, whereas self-reported empathy improved at follow-up. Patients' results showed an improvement in perceived empathy, therapeutic bond, and symptomatology after the MCBI. The improvements in symptomatology were maintained for somatization and anxiety at follow-up. According to the MSEM, the increase in PMS is related to an increase in patient-reported psychotherapists' empathy, which produces an improvement in therapeutic bond and their symptomatology. These results support the benefits of introducing MCBI in psychotherapists' training to improve the psychotherapy outcomes.
... Dodatkowo badania wskazały na niskie, choć istotne statystycznie, korelacje samowspółczucia z wewnętrznymi powodami do bycia religijnym (Watson i in., 2011). Co więcej, wiele badań dowodzi, że nawet krótkie interwencje oparte na medytacji rozwijają współczucie dla samego siebie (Boellinghaus i in., 2014;Albertson i in., 2015). ...
W ostatnich dwudziestu latach widzimy znaczny wzrost zainteresowania współczuciem dla samego siebie (z ang. self-compassion) w wielu dziedzinach nauk, także w psychologii, pedagogice czy medycynie. Celem publikacji jest przedstawienie procesu polskiej adaptacji Skali Współczucia dla Samego Siebie (Self Compassion Scale) autorstwa Kristin Neff. Adaptacja przebiegła w dwóch etapach. Walidacja kulturowa skali polegała na tłumaczeniu skali na język angielski, a następnie tłumaczenia zwrotnego – z języka angielskiego na polski oraz zadbaniu o równoważność fasadową oraz funkcjonalną testu zgodnie z przyjętymi zasadami adaptacji kulturowej skal. Drugim etapem była walidacja psychometryczna skali w oparciu o przeprowadzone badania z udziałem 645 badanych z wykorzystaniem Skali Współczucia dla Samego Siebie (SCS- PL) oraz Metryczki uwzględniającej dane demograficzne badanych takie jak wiek, płeć, miejsce zamieszkania, wykształcenie oraz romantyczne związki. Przeprowadzone badania i uzyskane wyniki pozwalają stwierdzić, że polska wersja SCS jest wiarygodną i miarą samowspółczucia. SCS-PL uzyskała w badaniach zadowalające wyniki rzetelności i trafności. Skala może być stosowana do oceny współczucia wobec siebie oraz jego komponentów, zarówno w warunkach klinicznych jak i badawczych
... Regarding the secondary outcomes of the study, which are related to the effectiveness of the program, the study evidenced group changes in self-compassion and mindfulness skills, but not in empathy and burnout. Regarding empathy, the result might be attributable to a ceiling effect, which has been also reported in past research with health care professionals (Boellinghaus et al., 2014). While it is possible that this was not as specifically addressed as mindfulness components in the program, it is also possible that baseline empathy (which was high) might explain this. ...
Introduction
Stress inherent to health care, which is characterized by work overload and shortage of specialized staff, is associated with decreased quality of life and suboptimal patient care. Mindfulness-based programs have proved to be effective in reducing stress in healthcare providers. This study aims to assess the feasibility of an 8-week mindfulness program to reduce the burnout levels of the staff of a pain clinic in a tertiary public hospital.
Materials and methods
A longitudinal study with a within subject pre/post-intervention design, consisting of daily face-to-face 10-min sessions and the creation of a virtual group using a social media platform. Variables measured: burnout, mindfulness, empathy, self-compassion, and demographic characteristics.
Results
Program feasibility (i.e., reach, adherence, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness) was evaluated in 10 participants (6 physicians, 2 nurse practitioners, 1 nursing assistant, and 1 administrative). The results revealed a high reach (i.e., participation rate of 90%), excellent adherence to the program (daily practice 95% of times), and very good acceptability of the group format and satisfaction with most treatment components. Regarding potential effectiveness, we report the results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and its associated effect size ( r ). We observed improvements in mindfulness and all its subscales (−2.077 ≤ Z ≤ −2.703, 0.69 ≤ r ≤ 0.90, all p < 0.05) except for non-reactivity and all subcomponents of self-compassion (−2.501 ≤ Z ≤ −2.611, 0.83 ≤ r ≤ 0.87, all p < 0.05) but not on its global self-compassion score. Empathy and burnout did not change. In an exploratory manner, however, we found significant reductions in the burnout component of emotional exhaustion, but only in physicians ( Z = −2.201, p = 0.028, r = 0.73).
Discussion
We believe that the 8-week mindfulness-based program described in the present investigation might be a feasible and potentially effective method that can be easily implemented to reduce burnout and promote mindfulness in specialized pain clinics.
... Our results con rmed Erogul et al. in rst year medical students, showing that improvement in SCS has been associated with positive psychological health (53) . In Healthcare providers, developing selfcompassion by learning could potentially reduce the risk of compassion fatigue and burnout while increasing personal wellbeing (54) . Even if it has been suggested that training that explicitly has intra-and interpersonal dimensions might have greater effects on outcomes (41) , we con rmed that self-compassion is implicitly taught in MBSR. ...
Background: Improving student wellness through curricular activities is a topic of interest in medical school. Both distress and well-being are related to medical student empathy. Numerous data suggest that learning mindfulness skills help to reduce anxiety, stress and overall psychological distress. Moreover, there are still poor data on the impact of MBSR on medical students' empathy and emotional skills.
Methods: We designed a controlled study including an intervention group (MBSR) and a wait-list control group. We aimed to explore the impact of an MBSR training in medical students on (1) empathy (2) emotional skills (identification, understanding, acceptance) and (3) self-care. Online assessments occurred at baseline and post intervention. We analyzed pre-post changes and explored intervention effects using a generalized mixed model.
Results: Fifty-one medical students were included. 80% of students attended all MBSR classes. When compared with the control group, Personal Distress (PD) of the empathy subscale decreased significantly in the MBSR group (β=-3.55 [95%CI -5.09, -1.40], p<0.005). No other significant change was observed as for the empathy subscales. Students in the MBSR group increased their emotional skills as the ability to identify (p<.005, Cohen’s d=0,52) and understand (p=.02, Cohen’s d=0.62) one’s own emotion. The total Self-Compassion score (SCS) increased significantly in the MBSR group (β=-25.5 [95%CI 18.16, 32.86], p<0.001) assesses the ability to self-care.
Conclusion: Results suggest that MBSR develops medical students' interpersonal resources and reduces empathy distress. Indeed, PD assesses the tendency to feel distress and discomfort in response to the distress of others and corresponds to a challenge in medical training. MBSR could be beneficially combined with other educational modalities to enhance each component of empathy.
... The review studies show that the topic of the benefits of self-compassion in therapists has so far received little attention. Only three previous systematic reviews have been located, the studies by Boellinghaus et al. 18 Bibeau et al 19 and Rudaz et al 20 in which the possible effects of self-compassion in mental health professionals are mentioned. ...
The importance of cultivating self-compassion is an often neglected issue among mental health professionals despite the risks to occupational well-being present in psychological care, such as burnout or compassion fatigue. In this context, this literature review has a twofold aim. Firstly, to contribute to raising awareness of the benefits of self-compassion among professionals, based on empirical research findings. Secondly, to coherently organize the available evidence on this topic, which to date appears scattered in a variety of articles. A systematic search on the APA PsycInfo database was conducted, and 24 empirical studies focused on the topic of the benefits of self-compassion in mental health professionals were finally selected. Concerning their methods, only 4 of the selected studies used experimental or quasi-experimental designs, 14 were cross-sectional studies, 3 presented qualitative research, and 3 were literature reviews. The research, regardless of methods used, points mainly to the benefits of self-compassion on the therapists' mental health and well-being; prevention of occupational stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatization as well as improvement of therapeutic competencies and professional efficacy-related aspects. In the review, self-compassion appeared as a process that could explain the benefits (eg on burnout) of cultivating other skills (eg mindfulness). To further explore this point, an additional review included 17 studies focused on the effects of mindfulness or compassion-based interventions on therapists' self-compassion. In conclusion, our work joins those who have recommended the inclusion of self-compassion trainings in the curricula of mental health professionals.
... Psychological wellbeing plays a critically important role in contemporary society, and researchers keep exploring more feasible therapeutic ways to improve mental health (Al-Ghabban, 2018;Allen et al., 2021;Don et al., 2022). After decades of clinical and neuroscientific studies, meditation and mindfulness became popular and gained traction in both scientific and general communities (Boellinghaus et al., 2013(Boellinghaus et al., , 2014Le Nguyen et al., 2019;Agrawal and Sahota, 2022;Don et al., 2022). Solid evidence has shown that mindfulness can relieve stress and improve psychological health. ...
... Compassion can be defined as the awareness of one's own and others' suffering and the intention or motivation to alleviate it [24]. It has been associated with the capacity to adjust to distressful experiences during dramatic events such as pandemics [25,26] and amongst HCWs in particular [27,28]. From this compassion-focused point of view, the distress a HCW may experience may be targeted and reduced by balancing the capacity to be compassionate with the others together with the capacity to receive compassion from oneself and others [25,29]. ...
Background
Recent studies have shown that nurses have been more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than any other group of hospital workers in terms of anxiety, depression, and burnout. Several clinical studies had previously demonstrated the effectiveness of mindfulness and compassion interventions in reducing burnout and emotional distress amongst healthcare professionals.
Methods and analysis
A parallel-group randomized controlled trial will assess the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a mindfulness and compassion-focused programme on frontline nurses who had been working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy-two participants will be recruited from Verona University Hospital Trust (Veneto Region, north-east Italy) and will be divided equally into an intervention group and a control group. Primary outcome will be assessed using the Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS). Secondary outcomes will be measured by the Cynicism and Professional Efficacy subscales of the MBI-GS, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Impact of Stressful Events (IES-R), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Forms of Self-Criticising/attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS).
Discussion
The study aims to fill a gap in the literature and present a scientifically validated intervention for those healthcare professionals most exposed to the stressful conditions of working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov; Identifier: NCT05308537
... Psychological wellbeing plays a critically important role in contemporary society, and researchers keep exploring more feasible therapeutic ways to improve mental health (Al-Ghabban, 2018;Allen et al., 2021;Don et al., 2022). After decades of clinical and neuroscientific studies, meditation and mindfulness became popular and gained traction in both scientific and general communities (Boellinghaus et al., 2013(Boellinghaus et al., , 2014Le Nguyen et al., 2019;Agrawal and Sahota, 2022;Don et al., 2022). Solid evidence has shown that mindfulness can relieve stress and improve psychological health. ...
Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM) is an efficient mental practice with long history that has recently attracted interest in the neuroscience, medical and education fields. However, the neural characters and underlying mechanism have not been fully illustrated, which hinders its practical usefulness. This study aimed to investigate LKM from aspects of interactions brain, heart and psychological measurements.
A Buddhist monk practitioner was recruited to complete one 10-minute LKM and two 10-minute resting tasks (pre- and post-resting). Two sets of single-channel wearable EEG devices were used to collect EEG (placed at Fz and Pz) and heart rate simultaneously. A comprehensive performance evaluation was conducted in each session by filling a self-designed report.
Spectrum analysis showed a significant increase of theta power (Fz: t = -3.356; p = 0.002; Pz: t = -5.199; p < 0.001) and decrease of heart rate between pre- and post-resting tasks (t = 4.092, p < 0.001). The analysis showed a negative correlation between theta power and heart rate (Fz: r = -0.681, p < 0.001; Pz: r = -0.384, p = 0.008), and positive correlation between theta power and the self-designed report score (Fz: r= 0.601, p < 0.001).
These findings suggest that LKM is accompanied by significant neurophysiological changes, mainly increasing the slow-wave such as theta wave and decreasing heart rate. The heart-brain connection increases after LKM meditation. More importantly, subjective psychological assessment is correlated with objective neurophysiological measurement in a long-term meditator. The use of the wearable device for LKM implicates its potential in real-life.
... It is also possible that some wellbeing outcomes take longer to emerge due to being more distal (e.g. psychological outcomes such as depression and anxiety may take longer to emerge than physiological outcomes; , that some people can feel worse before they feel better in response to meditation (Boellinghaus et al., 2014;Davidson & Kaszniak, 2015), and that individuals have different emotional responses to different meditations (Boellinghaus et al., 2013;Weng et al., 2017), particularly a more variable response to KCBM than MBIs (Singer & Engert, 2019), with the consequence that a range of responses across individuals can result in no overall effect and mask effects within subgroups. ...
Objectives
Interventions involving kindness- and compassion-based meditation (KCBM) have been shown to have various benefits for adults, and there is growing interest in using KCBMs with children. This systematic review explores the effects of KCBM on wellbeing, prosociality, and cognitive functioning in children and adolescents.
Methods
Studies were eligible if they examined interventions that contained a proportion of KCBM above a set threshold, included child participants only, used any or no control group, and included at least one outcome measure related to wellbeing, prosociality, or cognitive functioning. Studies were assessed for quality using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies, and findings were synthesised narratively.
Results
A systematic literature search of 11 databases up to February 2020 identified 3,073 papers. Ten studies were eligible for inclusion in the review, including 807 children. There was evidence of improvements in wellbeing in 47% of wellbeing outcome measures (including stress, anxiety, depression, negative affect, markers of inflammation, mindfulness, and self-compassion). Prosociality and cognitive functioning (visual perception and motor accuracy) were examined in 1 study each, and there was evidence of improvements in both outcomes. Effect sizes ranged from small to large. There was some evidence that interventions were more effective with younger, non-clinical populations and where intervention teachers were experienced. Study quality was generally weak.
Conclusions
There was no strong evidence base for positive effects of KCBM with children. However, the findings of the review are encouraging given the early stage of development of the field, and further research is warranted. Recommendations for future research include more robust methodological design, improved reporting, and a focus on developmental mechanisms of change.
Systematic Review Registration
PROSPERO CRD42014013065.
... Body scanning involves systematically focusing on one body part at a time to increase your awareness of and contact with your body and yourself (Kabat-Zinn, 2013). Loving kindness meditation is a way to cultivate nonjudgmental and compassionate loving kindness toward oneself and others (Boellinghaus et al., 2014;Salzberg, 1995). In this form of meditation, the participant focuses (for example) on experiences of love and care from people close to them and then gradually extends these feelings to others, including people they do not know. ...
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore emergency care nurses' experiences of an intervention to increase compassion and empathy and reduce stress through individual mindfulness training delivered via workshops and a smartphone application. We also explored how the nurses felt about the practical and technical aspects of the intervention. Design: Qualitative interview study. Method: Individual interviews were conducted with eight of the 56 participants in the intervention study and used phenomenological analysis to illuminate how they made sense of their lived experiences of mindfulness training. Findings: Three themes illuminated the nurses' experiences: becoming aware, changing through mindfulness, and gaining the tools for mindfulness through workshops and the mobile application. The first two themes expressed personal experiences, whereas the third expressed experiences of the practical and technical aspects of the intervention. Most nurses found the mobile application easy to use and effective. Conclusions: Emergency care nurses can feel that the awareness and changes that come with mindfulness training benefit them, their colleagues, and the patients for whom they care. The findings also provide insights into the challenges of practicing mindfulness in a busy emergency care setting and into the practical aspects of using a smartphone application to train mindfulness.
... Greater attention to cues from others may in turn promote a greater ability to empathise and correspondingly, promote more positive social attitudes. Indeed, both trait and state mindfulness have been linked to increases in aspects of empathy, such as perspective taking and feelings of compassion towards others (Shapiro et al., 1998;Block-Lerner et al., 2007;Krasner et al., 2009;Birnie et al., 2010;Boellinghaus et al., 2014). In addition, individuals show increased explicit and implicit positive feelings towards strangers (mediated by an increase in positive feelings towards others) and reduced racial bias following as little as 7-min of meditation (Hutcherson et al., 2008;Stell and Farsides, 2016). ...
Mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular in the workplace. This likely relates to a growing body of research linking mindfulness to a range of psychological outcomes such as reduced anxiety, depression and increased subjective wellbeing. However, while mindfulness has received a great deal of attention in clinical research, the evidence for workplace relevant benefits is less established. Additionally, outside of clinical research, mindfulness studies have rarely been replicated. Recent evidence suggests that the cognitive skills cultivated during meditation may be instrumental in reducing biased thinking and increasing prosocial behaviour, but these findings have not been previously tested in a workplace setting. Specifically, mindfulness has been linked to reductions in implicit age bias, sunk-cost decision-making bias and increases in organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB). In two experiments using a workplace and laboratory sample, the present investigation aimed to test the reliability and generalisability of previous findings that a brief mindfulness meditation can reduce age and sunk-cost decision-making biases. To more directly test the potential positive benefits of mindfulness in a workplace setting, this study also investigated the impact of a mindfulness intervention on intention to perform OCB. While meditation significantly increased OCB intent, predictions relating to bias were not supported. Considerations for the degree to which empirical evidence aligns with claims in popular culture, along with implications for the practical uses of mindfulness in the workplace are explored.
... Loving-kindness meditation, similarly, represents a fundamental reorientation towards oneself and other people that is likely to reduce variability in one's sense of social connectedness. Loving-kindness meditation has been shown to enhance implicit (positive) attitudes towards other people (Hutcherson et al., 2008), the feeling that others are available for support (Fredrickson et al., 2008), and self-compassion (e.g., Boellinghaus et al., 2014). As such, engaging in a regular practice that cultivates a sense of compassion and warmth towards others is likely not only to result in greater average levels of social connectedness, but also more consistency in feelings of social connectedness. ...
Objectives
Research demonstrates that meditation interventions tend to positively influence social well-being. Yet, prior research has exclusively examined meditation in relation to average levels of social outcomes (e.g., social connectedness), despite other work demonstrating variability or fluctuations in social functioning play a distinct role in contributing to well-being. This study examined the hypothesis that training in mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation would predict lower variability in social connectedness, even accounting for their positive influence on average levels of social connectedness. Moreover, this study also examined the hypothesis that lower variability in positive and negative emotions would mediate the link between training in meditation and reduced variability in social connectedness.
Methods
These hypotheses were tested using a randomized study of 224 mid-life adults. Participants received training in either mindfulness or loving-kindness meditation for 6 weeks. They reported their daily social connectedness and emotions for 2 weeks prior to the training, 6 weeks during the training, and 3 weeks after the training.
Results
Consistent with hypotheses, results demonstrated that participants in both meditation groups reported lower variability in social connectedness across the course of the intervention, even accounting for average levels of connectedness. Moreover, lower positive and negative affective variability partially mediated the association between time (training in meditation) and reduced variability in social connectedness.
Conclusions
These results suggest that (a) meditation may help to smooth social ups and downs across time and that (b) it may do so via its association with reduced affective variability.
... Loving-kindness meditation, similarly, represents a fundamental reorientation towards oneself and other people that is likely to reduce variability in one's sense of social connectedness. Loving-kindness meditation has been shown to enhance implicit (positive) attitudes towards other people (Hutcherson et al., 2008), the feeling that others are available for support (Fredrickson et al., 2008), and self-compassion (e.g., Boellinghaus et al., 2014). As such, engaging in a regular practice that cultivates a sense of compassion and warmth towards others is likely not only to result in greater average levels of social connectedness, but also more consistency in feelings of social connectedness. ...
... However, Meditation requires a specific competence for the counselor. The time cost of ongoing training over a cycle does not apply to all counselors, psychologists, and the general population [6] [8]. Therefore, it is a meaningful solution to ensure counselors' emotional relief and help them withdraw from destructive emotions through the timely assistance of simple interactive products. ...
... Self-compassion consists of three main elements: self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and a balanced, mindful relationship with unpleasant thoughts and emotions [30]. Mindfulness may also increase empathy and compassion for others, although to date, studies have mainly measured changes in empathy [24,31] despite some discussion that compassion may be healthier than empathy for healthcare professionals [32]. While empathy involves sharing in the suffering of another, compassion is feeling warmth, concern and care along with the motivation to improve another's wellbeing. ...
BACKGROUND
Medical students experience high levels of stress during their training. Literature suggests that mindfulness can reduce stress and increase self-compassion levels in medical students. However, most mindfulness training programs are delivered face-to-face and require significant time commitments, which can be challenging for rurally-based students with heavy academic workloads and limited support networks. PURPOSETo evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a brief online Mindfulness training program for medical students based in rural areas, with regards to reducing stress, increasing self-compassion, mindfulness and study engagement. METHODS
This is a non-registered randomised control trial. Participants included both urban and rural medical students from UWA, University of Notre Dame and the RCSWA from 2018-2020. Participants were randomised to the intervention group, an 8-week online mindfulness training program, or the control group. Using quantitative-qualitative mixed-methods approach, we measured the frequency, duration and quality of the participants mindfulness meditation practice, and assessed changes in their perceived stress, self-compassion, mindfulness and study engagement levels. Further, the intervention group recorded a weekly reflective journal documenting their experience of the program. RESULTS114 participants were recruited to the study. 61 were randomised to the intervention, and 53 to the control. Quantitative analysis of the frequency, duration and quality of mindfulness meditation practice and changes in stress, self-compassion, mindfulness and study engagement is currently being conducted. Preliminary qualitative results reveal that participants experienced increased self-awareness, more mindfulness of their day-to-day activities, improved emotional regulation and increased productivity, while also facing difficulties with making time for their mindfulness practice. CONCLUSION
We anticipate that this study will demonstrate that an online mindfulness training program tailored to reach rurally located medical students is feasible and effective in modifying their stress levels and psychological wellbeing.
... Nonetheless, mindfulness and self-compassion are proposed to reflect distinct constructs (Baer, 2010;Bishop et al., 2004;Boellinghaus, Jones, & Hutton, 2014;Germer & Barnhofer, 2017;Neff & Dahm, 2015). Stressing the importance of distinguishing between the operational features and the potential benefits of mindfulness, Bishop and colleagues (2004) argue that self-compassion is not part of the general mindfulness construct, but rather a likely outcome of practicing mindfulness. ...
... 12 Of the various types of MBSR, some literature suggests that guided loving kindness meditation, the practice of mentally directing unconditional love and kindness first to oneself and then to others, is potentially the most effective at increasing compassion satisfaction and empathy, which in turn reduces compassion fatigue and burnout, and thus may be especially well-suited to health care professionals. 20,21 However, the extensive time commitment of traditional MBSR and even abbreviated versions is prohibitive for most nurses. 12 A recent study testing the feasibility and effectiveness of a 5-minute preshift mindfulness-based intervention demonstrated a significant decrease in stress following the intervention and the benefits were sustained 30 days later. ...
This prospective pre-/posttest pilot studied a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention first, to reduce self-reported stress and improve compassion satisfaction; and second, to reduce physiological indices of stress. Even small interventions of MBSR before a shift effectively reduces the physiological indices of stress and may help reduce compassion fatigue and burnout in nurses.
... 30 31 In this study, session 5 of MICBI programme focused solely on compassion towards self and others, forgiveness, gratitude, kindness with loving-kindness meditation practice. Studies have observed that compassion-oriented meditation can reduce distress from patient contact and foster interpersonal connectedness 32 ; mindfulness based/or integrated interventions can increase empathy and self-compassion, 33 and improve self-compassion and mental well-being. 15 25 34 35 Although research is limited, there is evidence that compassion development is helpful 36 and mindfulness affects multiple areas including compassion and well-being. ...
Objective
Being a palliative cancer care professional is challenging and stressful. In recent decades, there has been more interest in mindfulness to improve overall well-being of healthcare professionals. Mindfulness integrated cognitive behavioural interventions (MICBI) are more practical, flexible and understandable than traditional psychological therapies alone. There is a dearth of studies in India with no psychological intervention in palliative cancer care professionals to date. The aim was to examine the effects of MICBI for professional care workers at palliative cancer care centres in Bengaluru city of Southern India.
Methods
A single group study design was adopted with pre, post and 3-month follow-up assessment with a sample of 25 participants working full-time at a hospice. The MICBI programme was for six sessions, once a week for 2–2.5 hours. Outcome variables were professional quality of life measures (burnout, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction), psychological well-being score and mindfulness skills score (assessed using Professional Quality of Life Scale-V.5, Psychological Well-Being Scale and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire). Wilcoxon signed rank test and Friedman test analysed differences between pre, post and follow-up data.
Results
The MICBI could significantly reduce burnout and secondary traumatic stress; it improved compassion satisfaction, psychological well-being and mindfulness skills; treatment gains were maintained at 3 months follow-up.
Conclusions
MICBI was feasible and effective for palliative cancer care professionals with implications for training, practice and future research.
PROSPERO registration number
The study was registered under the Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI) (number: CTRI/2018/03/019170).
... However, this is common practice during implementation of new methods and accounted for by clinical managers in primary healthcare. Mindfulness also contributes to the well-being of the staff, making it a sustainable method within the healthcare organization (Boellinghaus et al., 2014;Shapiro & Carlson, 2009;Verweij et al., 2018). Mindfulness as a method is gaining ground in research as well as in clinical care both in Sweden and internationally. ...
Objectives
Moderate mental health problems are highly prevalent and increasing in Swedish schoolchildren, elevating risk for future mental and somatic disability. The aim of this study was to determine whether an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention, Training for Mindfulness and Resilience (TMR), mitigates mental health symptoms and increases resilience during a 2-year follow-up.
Methods
Schoolchildren (aged 9–14 years) reporting moderate mental health problems were randomized into either TMR intervention group ( N = 22) or control group, receiving best current practice ( N = 12). We used validated questionnaires to measure anxiety, depression, anger, disruptive behavior, self-concept, resilience, stress, and mindfulness before treatment with either TMR or control, as well as at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years follow-up.
Results
We found a statistically significant effect of TMR intervention vs control, on resilience, anxiety, anger, and disruptive behavior. Compared to baseline, TMR increased the level of resilience at 6 months ( p < .001); anxiety at 1 (p < = .033) and 2 years ( p = .04); anger at 6 months ( p = .004) and 2 years ( p = .039); disruptive behavior at 6 months ( p = .006). In the control group, a decrease in resilience between 6 months and 2 years ( p = .05) was observed. No other significant effects were found in the control group.
Conclusions
This study suggested that TMR improved mental health in schoolchildren with effects on anxiety and anger lasting for 2 years, and on resilience and disruptive behavior lasting for 6 months.
Trial Registration Number
NCT04806542, date of registration 18 th of March 2021, retrospectively registered.
... Considering given alpha and beta risks of 0.05 and 0.20, respectively, in bilateral contrast, and a standard deviation (SD) of ±20, 114 participants were required (38 for each of the groups) to detect a minimum difference ≥ 15 points in the FFMQ between EGs and CG. A predicted follow-up loss rate of 25% was also assumed [51,52]. These calculations were based on the results obtained in a previous study [41]. ...
Stress is one of the most common problems among healthcare professionals, as they are exposed to potentially stressful and emotionally challenging situations in the workplace. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training programs have been shown to decrease stress. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an abbreviated 4-weeks MBSR training program in relation to a standard 8-weeks one on the stress levels. A controlled and randomized clinical trial was designed, in which 112 tutors and resident intern specialists in Family and Community Medicine and Nursing of six Spanish National Health System teaching units (TUs) participated. Participants included in the experimental groups (EGs) received a MBRS training program (standard or abbreviated), while control group (CG) participants did not receive any intervention. The stress levels were assessed by the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) in three different moments during the study: before, immediately after, and 3 months after the intervention. Adjusted covariance analysis (ANCOVA), using pretest scores as the covariate, showed a significant reduction in stress (F(2,91) = 5.165; p = 0.008; η2 = 0.102) in the post-test visit, attributable to the implementation of the standard training program, but without the maintenance of its effects over time. No significant impact of the abbreviated training program on stress levels was observed in the intergroup comparison. A standard 8-weeks MBSR training program aimed at tutors and resident intern specialists in Family and Community Medicine and Nursing produces significant improvements in stress levels compared with the abbreviated intervention and no intervention. New studies about abbreviated training programs are needed to provide effective treatments which improve well-being of these professionals.
... However, over the course of some years, a movement consisting, mainly, of staff had been growing; it looked to address the matter of staff well-being and early intervention for staff who were struggling through, for example, stress management workshops, mindfulness training, provision of yoga and arts and crafts classes, and creative enquiry. [4][5][6] Other aspects of working life that inspired staff to find their own solutions were, for example, the rota system; during the pandemic, self-rostering was rolled out in some hospitals to give staff better control over their working lives. 7 Many interventions were delivered by the staff themselves, who knew the problems in their services and sought to address them, usually at no cost, on hospital premises and, only rarely, in protected time such as during audit or clinical governance days. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic emphasises the need to rethink and restructure the culture of healthcare organisations if we are to ensure the long-term well-being and mental health of healthcare provider organisations and their staff. In this paper, we recognise the high levels of stress and distress among staff of healthcare services before the COVID-19 pandemic began. We identify lessons for care of healthcare staff and illustrate the paths by which support mobilises and later deteriorates. Although this paper focuses on NHS staff in the UK, we contend that similar effects are likely in most healthcare systems.
Healthcare workers dedicate their lives to caring for others and being with patients throughout the most challenging times. Unfortunately, funding constraints and organisational challenges, many of which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, often leave healthcare workers prone to extended stress and burnout. In this chapter we ask: does caring for the self enhance the ability to care for others? Reviewing studies investigating how “caring for the self” (self-compassion) may reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in community and patient populations, we assess whether the same is true in groups of healthcare workers. We review existing studies linking self-compassion to key outcomes of relevance to the healthcare professions, assess whether self-compassion is likely to lead to greater other-focused care, and synthesise early data regarding the efficacy and feasibility of self-compassion-based interventions in healthcare settings. Ultimately, we suggest that while conceptual and practical difficulties in defining and applying self-compassion remain, the development of self-compassion has potential benefits for both workers and patients and may usefully be integrated in the daily life and training of health professionals.KeywordsSelf-CompassionHealthcareBurnoutWellbeingOrganisational Psychology
As demonstrated by the chapters in this Handbook, self-compassion is associated with myriad benefits for mental health and psychological well-being. The beneficial impact of self-compassion is perhaps even more evident in psychotherapy, where self-compassion has long held a role under the umbrella of “self-acceptance.” Drawing primarily on compassion-focused therapy and the mindful self-compassion program, this chapter provides guidance on how to integrate self-compassion into psychotherapy and provides and overview of the evidence connecting self-compassion with therapeutic processes and outcomes.The chapter begins by locating self-compassion in the context of psychotherapy, past and present. Next, we outline the evidence for self-compassion as a transdiagnostic and transtheoretical mechanism of action in therapy. The majority of this chapter describes three levels by which self-compassion can be integrated into psychotherapy—compassionate presence, compassionate relationship, and compassionate interventions—along with supporting research. When all three levels are part of treatment, it can be considered fully self-compassion based. Finally, we explore emotion regulation as the basic mechanism by which self-compassion works in psychotherapy, along with underlying neurophysiological and psychological processes, especially the cultivation of secure attachment and the alleviation of shame.KeywordsSelf-compassionPsychotherapyTherapeutic relationshipTherapeutic allianceEmotion regulation
Unlike traditional Eastern medicines, Western medicine has been oriented towards a reductionist approach almost exclusively focused on the mechanisms that trigger the disease in an attempt to inhibit its effects. If, on the one hand, this approach has made enormous progress possible, on the other it has restricted the space reserved for the personal doctor-patient relationship and the role of their subjective experience on the course of the disease and the outcome of treatment. Thus, the patient’s need to analyze his/her own inner experience in search of purpose and meaning, and to keep a window open on the transcendent during the treatment process has taken a back seat. The need to recover this spiritual dimension has, however, been widely recognized in the last 30 years and the interventions at the institutional level necessary to promote its integration into the treatment path have been identified. Real integration, however, cannot take place without accompanying the institutional intervention with that at personal level. It will be aimed at providing the patient with the tools to accept the discomfort of the disease and the doctor to continue dispensing his care with loving kindness avoiding burnout. In this direction, the protocols of Mindfulness have found application, a contemplative practice within everyone’s reach, based on the teachings already present in the Buddhist canons of the origins dedicated to remedies to deal with suffering, illness and the fear of death. This is how a millennial tradition is contributing to the search for a new dimension of the relationship between Medicine and Spirituality.
The role of compassion in healthcare has become increasingly important, especially since it is now considered one of the six “Core Values” in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service [1]. This chapter will present a psychological theory and approach which places building compassion (for self and others) at the heart of its aims: Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) [2, 3]. The role of building compassion for people living with HIV and health professionals working in this field will be explored.KeywordsHIVCompassionPsychological distressHealth outcomesStaff self-careCompassion fatigueShame
Emotional intelligence (EI) is a basic concept in psychology that is gaining social importance. According to Goleman, it refers to the ability to be aware of and to handle one’s emotions in varying situations. Current research indicates that EI can be improved through training, leading to an increased awareness of how we can contribute to the emotional management. In this paper, a low-cost ElectroEncephaloGraphy (EEG) and PhotoPlethysmoGraphy (PPG) based proposal is introduced in order to assess the level of emotional intelligence among elderly people during cognitive stimulation sessions. Twenty-five older people , who were baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964), were recruited during 2 months, while they participated in a cognitive stimulation program. During those months, these participants were trained in different techniques of emotional management and they learned how to use several low-cost EEG and PPG devices. They were subjected to several emotional stimulation sessions where stress and anxiety scenarios were considered. By using our proposal, different supervised learning algorithms were evaluated in order to allow emotion detection, having the Support Vector Machine (SVM) technique as the one that reached better scores. Later, our solution supports emotional intelligence test and promising outcomes were achieved.
p>Manusia sebagai makhluk sosial yang saling membutuhkan satu sama lain tidak akan bisa terlepas dari orang-orang di sekitarnya. Interaksi yang terjalin dalam lingkungan sosial tersebut akan menghasilkan tindakan tolong-menolong atau yang juga disebut perilaku prososial. Terdapat beberapa faktor yang dapat mempengaruhi perilaku prososial, dua diantaranya yakni syukur dan self-compassion .
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan antara syukur dan self-compassion dengan perilaku prososial pada mahasiswa di Universitas Sebelas Maret. Subjek penelitian ini adalah mahasiwa Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta yang berjumlah 380 orang yang diambil menggunakan proportional random sampling . Adapun alat ukur yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah skala syukur (α = 0.897), skala self-compassion (α = 0.902), dan skala perilaku prososial (α = 0.885).
Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara syukur dan self-compassion dengan perilaku prososial. Hal ini dilihat dari nilai F hitungnya adalah sebesar 59.862 (F tabel = 1.17, F<sub>hitung</sub>> F<sub>tabel</sub>) dan (p=0.00 < 0.05). Nilai koefisien korelasi dari penelitian ini adalah 0.491 yang artinya kekuatan hubungan antara syukur dan self-compassion dengan perilaku prososial cukup kuat. Sementara itu, nilai R s quare nya adalah 0.241 yang menunjukkan bahwa besarnya konstribusi syukur dan self-compassion dengan perilaku prososial adalah 24,1%. Berdasarkan uji pearson, terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara syukur dan perilaku prososial (p = 0.000 , p < 0.05). Sedangkan self-compassion tidak memiliki hubungan yang signifikan dengan perilaku prososial dilihat dari nilai (p= 0.264, p > 0.05). Adapun kesimpulan dari penelitian ini adalah terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara syukur dan self-compassion dengan perilaku prososial, terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara syukur dengan perilaku prososial, dan tidak terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara self-compassion dengan perilaku prososial.</p
Background : This study examines the effectiveness of a pilot Mindful Caring workshop in improving self-compassion, mindfulness, and empathy, while reducing stress.
Methods : Year 3 and 4 medical students from the National University of Singapore underwent 16 hours of online workshops over 4 days with didactic and experiential learning activities on self-compassion and mindfulness. Primary outcomes of self-compassion were measured with the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Secondary outcomes include mindfulness measured with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-15 (FFMQ-15), empathy and stress levels. Qualitative comments were also sought in the feedback.
Results : Out of 21 participants, 90.5% (n =19) completed both pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Participants experienced significant mean improvements in self-compassion (p<0.05) and mindfulness (p<0.05), while improvements in empathy and stress levels did not reach statistical significance.
Conclusions : A short online Mindful Caring workshop could be an avenue to improve self-compassion and mindfulness, which may have a downstream effect on burnout.
Research supports the positive implications of applying humanistic constructs such as empathy and compassion in counseling supervision. However, there is a clear lack of counseling supervision approaches that utilize compassion, specifically to facilitate the development of counselors‐in‐training. This article introduces a compassion‐supported developmental approach to supervision.
Background: This study examines the effectiveness of a pilot Mindful Caring workshop in improving self-compassion, mindfulness, and empathy, while reducing stress.
Methods: Clinical-year medical students from the National University of Singapore underwent 16 hours of online workshops over 4 days with didactic and experiential teachings on self-compassion and mindfulness. Primary outcomes of self-compassion and mindfulness were measured with the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-15 (FFMQ-15) respectively. Secondary outcomes measured included empathy and stress levels. Qualitative feedback was also sought.
Results:
Primary outcomes included improvements in self-compassion and mindfulness. Out of 21 participants, 19 (90.5%) completed both pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Participants experienced significant mean improvements in self-compassion (p<0.05) and mindfulness (p<0.05), while improvements in empathy and stress levels did not reach statistical significance.
Conclusions: A short online Mindful Caring workshop could be an avenue to improve self-compassion and mindfulness, which may have a downstream effect on burnout.
Résumé : La méditation de pleine conscience est en expansion depuis une quarantaine d’années. En définissant plus précisément les contextes d’émergences de deux de types de pratique méditative, le protocole MBSR et la méditation assise selon le courant zen, nous interrogerons le discours anthropologique de ces pratiques. Ce bénéfice réflexif questionnera le possible lien entre la méditation et les pratiques du care en Occident et cela afin d’apporter des réponses structurées à la problématique : en quoi la MPC, remise dans l’un de ses contextes culturels d’émergence, peut-elle être un élément de soutien de la pratique du care en Occident ? Deux études ont été effectuées auprès de deux populations : des soignants et des enseignants. L’objet de ces études est de questionner les effets de la méditation de pleine conscience sur les qualités de savoir-être. Les résultats montrent que l’entraînement à une attitude de sollicitude, permet de prendre la mesure du réajustement de l’engagement affectif dans le rapport au care : le seul exercice de la méditation assise entraine concrètement une disponibilité et non un supplément de disposition pour la pratique du « prendre soin ».
https://www.theses.fr/2022STRAG005
Mots clés : méditation ; pleine conscience ; zazen ; santé mentale ; care ; pratique d’accompagnement ; savoir-être.
Second-generation mindfulness-based interventions (SG-MBIs) align well with positive psychology philosophy and practices, but trials of SG-MBIs have largely focused on ill-being. This study developed a mindfulness-based positive psychology (MBPP) intervention integrating positive psychology with an SG-MBI to enhance well-being. A randomized control trial was performed to compare MBPP with a waitlist condition among 138 Chinese participants. The results showed that MBPP significantly reduced negative emotions for subjective well-being and significantly improved environmental mastery for psychological well-being. Improvements in self-compassion and negative attitudes but not avoidance, mediated changes in well-being. Changes in positive emotions, positive relations, and awareness were associated with the amount of meditation practice. These findings showed that MBPP is promising for improving well-being and that the positive psychology components play important roles. Broadly, the study illustrated that positive psychology and SG-MBIs can be effectively integrated, and it supported the further application of SG-MBIs from the positive psychology perspective.
Supplementary information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10902-022-00525-2.
The meta-analysis by Cénat et al. (2021) indicates that populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic have a significantly higher
prevalence of depression, anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress, and psychological stress compared to the general population
under normal circumstances. Similarly, studies with large samples carried out in different countries indicate that, throughout the
confinement, there is a progressive worsening of mental health (Ammar et al., 2020). In addition to international studies on the
subject encouraging this promotion of well-being, we also briefly comment on the program and studies that we have carried out
in families, the ‘Resilience and Well-being Programme: Stay at Home’ (Sánchez -Hernández & Canales, 2020a; 2020b), to prevent
emotional problems before in confinement by COVID-19. Another part of the article would briefly comment on the line of research
on the self-care of mental health workers. In the article by Gilbody and colleagues (2021) they note that the mental health research
community has been successful in describing the nature of the impact of COVID-19, but less in generating solutions and providing
clinical trial data to establish what works to mitigate the impacts. It reflects on interventions to promote resilience in families in
the face of confinement and the need for emotional self-care of health professionals in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objectives: CaringBridge (CB) is an online health community for people undergoing challenging health journeys. Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) is a systemized mind-body approach developed to increase loving acceptance and has previously been reported to increase resilience in the face of adversity. Materials and Methods: Results of a randomized controlled trial of immediate compared with deferred 21-day LKM intervention in an online community are reported. The deferred group received LKM intervention after a waiting period of 3 weeks. Inclusion criteria were >18 years old, ability to understand English, willingness to participate in a mind-body practice, and use of CB for a cancer journey. Change in perceived stress, self-compassion, social connectedness and assurance, and compassionate love scales from baseline to 21 days was assessed. Results: Of the 979 participants included in the study, 649 (66%) provided 3-week follow-up data and 330 (49%) self-reported engaging in the LKM practice 5 or more days/week. Participants in the immediate LKM group reported medium effect size improvement in stress (0.4), self-compassion (0.5), and social connectedness (0.4) compared with the deferred LKM group. Changes in perceived stress and self-compassion were larger in magnitude and increased with more frequent engagement in LKM. Conclusions: The immediate LKM group showed improvements in stress, self-compassion, and social connectedness compared with the deferred control group. Differential study retention rates by treatment arm and self-reported engagement in LKM subject the results to selection bias. Future research of similar interventions within online health communities might pay greater attention to promoting intervention adherence and engaging a more diverse economic and racial/ethnic population. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05002842).
Merhamet yorgunluğu, hasta veya acı çeken bireylerin yaşadıkları travmaya uzun süre maruz kalma, onlara uzun süre merhamet gösterme ve bakım sırasında empati kurma sonucunda oluşan psikolojik bitkinlik halidir. Hemşirelik, hasta ve acı çeken bireylerin acılarına yakından tanık olma, empati kurma ve bakım ilişkisini gerektirmesi nedeniyle merhamet yorgunluğunun en ağır yaşandığı meslek gruplarından biridir. Literatürde özellikle kronik hastalıklar ve uzun süreli karmaşık tedaviler nedeniyle daha fazla olumsuz deneyim yaşayan hastalara bakım veren yoğun bakım, onkoloji, geriatri, pediatri hemşirelerinin daha fazla merhamet yorgunluğu yaşadığı bildirilmektedir. Merhamet yorgunluğu yaşayan hemşirelerde zamanla kan basıncı değişimleri, uykusuzluk, immün sistem fonksiyonlarında bozulma, anksiyete, depresyon, sosyal izolasyon, kişiler arası ilişkileri sürdürmede yetersizlik gibi çeşitli fiziksel, ruhsal ve sosyal sorunlar yaşanmaktadır. Bu sorunlar bilişsel süreçlerde bozulmaya neden olarak tıbbi hataların artmasına neden olmakta, hemşirelerin yaşam kalitesini, klinik karar verme becerisini, sunulan sağlık hizmetlerini önemli derecede etkilemektedir. Bakım kalitesini doğrudan tehdit eden, hemşirelerin duyarsızlaşma ve işten ayrılmalarına neden olan merhamet yorgunluğuna karşı önlem programlarının oluşturulması büyük önem taşımaktadır. Bu derlemede hemşirelerde merhamet yorgunluğu ve etkilerinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır.
A distinction between ruminative and reflective types of private self-attentiveness is introduced and evaluated with respect to L. R. Goldberg's (1982) list of 1,710 English trait adjectives (Study 1), the five-factor model of personality (FFM) and A. Fenigstein, M. F. Scheier, and A. Buss's(1975) Self-Consciousness Scales (Study 2), and previously reported correlates and effects of private self-consciousness (PrSC; Studies 3 and 4). Results suggest that the PrSC scale confounds two unrelated motivationally distinct disposition-rumination and reflection-and that this confounding may account for the "self-absorption paradox" implicit in PrSC research findings: Higher PrSC sources are associated with more accurate and extensive self-knowledge yet higher levels of psychological distress. The potential of the FFM to provide a comprehensive Framework for conceptualizing self-attentive dispositions, and to order and integrate research findings within this domain, is discussed.
A 4‐year qualitative study examined the influence of teaching hatha yoga, meditation, and qigong to counseling graduate students. Participants in the 15‐week, 3‐credit mindfulness‐based stress reduction course reported positive physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and interpersonal changes and substantial effects on their counseling skills and therapeutic relationships. Students expressed different preferences for and experiences with the 3 mindfulness practices. Most students reported intentions of integrating mindfulness practices into their future profession.
Compassion focused therapy (CFT) is rooted in an evolutionary, functional analysis of basic social motivational systems (e.g., to live in groups, form hierarchies and ranks, seek out sexual, partners help and share with alliances, and care for kin) and different functional emotional systems (e.g., to respond to threats, seek out resources, and for states of contentment/safeness). In addition, about 2 million years ago, (pre-)humans began to evolve a range of cognitive competencies for reasoning, reflection, anticipating, imagining, mentalizing, and creating a socially contextualized sense of self. These new competencies can cause major difficulties in the organization of (older) motivation and emotional systems. CFT suggests that our evolved brain is therefore potentially problematic because of its basic ‘design,’ being easily triggered into destructive behaviours and mental health problems (called ‘tricky brain’). However, mammals and especially humans have also evolved motives and emotions for affiliative, caring and altruistic behaviour that can organize our brain in such a way as to significantly offset our destructive potentials. CFT therefore highlights the importance of developing people's capacity to (mindfully) access, tolerate, and direct affiliative motives and emotions, for themselves and others, and cultivate inner compassion as a way for organizing our human ‘tricky brain’ in prosocial and mentally healthy ways.
The literature is replete with evidence that the stress inherent in health care negatively impacts health care professionals, leading to increased depression, decreased job satisfaction, and psychological distress. In an attempt to address this, the current study examined the effects of a short-term stress management program, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), on health care professionals. Results from this prospective randomized controlled pilot study suggest that an 8-week MBSR intervention may be effective for reducing stress and increasing quality of life and self-compassion in health care professionals. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Shame and self-criticism are transdiagnostic problems. People who experience them may struggle to feel relieved, reassured or safe. Research suggests that a specialised affect regulation sys tem (or systems) underpins feelings of reassurance, safeness and well-being. It is believed to have evolved with attachment systems and, in particular, the ability to register and respond with calming and a sense of well-being to being cared for. In compassion-focused therapy it is hypothesised that this affect regulation system is poorly accessible in people with high shame and self-criticism, in whom the 'threat' affect regulation system dominates orientation to their inner and outer worlds. Compassion-focused therapy is an integrated and multimodal approach that draws from evolutionary, social, developmental and Buddhist psychology, and neuro science. One of its key concerns is to use compassionate mind training to help people develop and work with experiences of inner warmth, safeness and soothing, via compassion and self-compassion.
This qualitative study explores the effects of qigong, an ancient Chinese mindfulness practice involving movement, on master's-level counseling students. Students responded in writing both after an initial experience of qigong and after practicing the movements for 15 weeks during a mindfulness-based course in self-care. Themes of physical, emotional, and mental changes were present in both sets of responses. Additional themes of familiarity with the practice as well as group consciousness and interdependence emerged in the final experience of qigong. The results of this study indicate qigong is a contemplative practice that could have positive outcomes for counseling students. Because of its accessible nature, immediate results, and ability to foster connectedness, qigong is currently underutilized as a form of teaching mindfulness.
As the use of qualitative methods in health research proliferates, it becomes increasingly necessary to consider how the value of a piece of qualitative research should be assessed. This article discusses the problem posed by the novelty and diversity of qualitative approaches within health psychology and considers the question of what criteria are appropriate for assessing the validity of a qualitative analysis. In keeping with the ethos of much qualitative research, some open-ended, flexible principles are suggested as a guide to the quality of a qualitative study: sensitivity to context; commitment and rigour; transparency and coherence; impact and importance. Examples are given of the very different ways in which various forms of qualitative research can meet these criteria.
Faculty in counseling training programs often give voice to the importance of self-care for students during the training period and into practice after training is completed. However, few programs specifically address this issue in their curricula. To address this perceived need, a course was developed to provide students with (a) personal growth opportunities through self-care practices and (b) professional growth through mindfulness practices in counseling that can help prevent burnout. A focus group assessed course impact on students who reported significant changes in their personal lives, stress levels, and clinical training.
Mindfulness training and compassion-focused approaches are both significant, rising clinical and research trends in cognitive and behavioral therapies. In the historical Buddhist lineages that developed mindfulness practices, initial training in mindfulness frequently evolves into specific training in compassion and loving kindness for self and others. The sequencing of this mental training would suggest that there is a relationship between the experience of mindfulness and the experience of compassion, wherein mindfulness may serve as a context for compassion-focused approaches. Accordingly, current cognitive and behavioral therapies that make use of these concepts often interrelate the development of mindfulness with an emergent compassionate perspective. If this relationship is to bear the scrutiny of a scientific practice, then we would expect to see evidence of a such a relationship between the experience of mindfulness and compassion. Further, a scientific rationale for mindfulness as a context for compassion-focused therapies would be useful, if Western therapies are to integrate these processes responsibly. The present article is aimed at providing an exploration of the constructs of mindfulness and compassion, and the hypothesized neurophysiological processes involved in their cultivation. An examination of the relevant theoretical and neuroimaging literature reveals that both mindful awareness and a felt sense of compassion may be interrelated dimensions of human functioning, having their evolutionary roots in human relational behaviors. This is in accord with Buddhist philosophy, which has explained both the experience of mindful awareness and the phenomenology of an arising of compassion as correlates of a direct experience of the self as an interrelated part of a greater process of ever-evolving, interbeing.
Aim: Within the last 10 years, mindfulness has quickly moved into the mainstream of behavioural medicine, psychotherapy, and counselling. This article examines the potential of applying mindfulness practices to the training of counsellors and psychotherapists. Method: Several qualitative research projects conducted over the past nine years are summarised. Findings: Mindfulness training can enhance the physical and psychological wellbeing of trainees. Implications for training: Mindfulness training is a specific way that training programmes can teach students strategies of self-care that can help prevent burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatisation.
The Profile of Mood States (POMS; P. M. McNair et al, 1981) is a commonly used measure of psychological distress. The length of this scale (65 items) may limit its use with physically ill or otherwise impaired populations or prevent its inclusion in multiinstrument assessment protocols. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a shorter, 37-item version of the POMS developed by S. Shacham (1983; POMS-SF). Data were provided by 600 respondents representing five different clinical samples and one sample of healthy adults. For all samples, internal consistency estimates for the POMS-SF subscales were very comparable to those for the original POMS. Furthermore, correlations between total mood disturbance and subscale scores on the POMS-SF and those from the original POMS all exceeded .95. The POMS-SF is considered an excellent alternative to the original POMS when a brief measure of psychological distress is desired. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Preparation for the role of therapist can occur on both professional and personal levels. Research has found that therapists are at risk for occupationally related psychological problems. It follows that self-care may be a useful complement to the professional training of future therapists. The present study examined the effects of one approach to self-care, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), for therapists in training. Using a prospective, cohort-controlled design, the study found participants in the MBSR program reported significant declines in stress, negative affect, rumination, state and trait anxiety, and significant increases in positive affect and self-compassion. Further, MBSR participation was associated with increases in mindfulness, and this enhancement was related to several of the beneficial effects of MBSR participation. Discussion highlights the potential for future research addressing the mental health needs of therapists and therapist trainees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Factors that influence client outcome can be divided into four areas: extratherapeutic factors, expectancy effects, specific therapy techniques, and common factors. Common factors such as empathy, warmth, and the therapeutic relationship have been shown to correlate more highly with client outcome than specialized treatment interventions. The common factors most frequently studied have been the person-centered facilitative conditions (empathy, warmth, congruence) and the therapeutic alliance. Decades of research indicate that the provision of therapy is an interpersonal process in which a main curative component is the nature of the therapeutic relationship. Clinicians must remember that this is the foundation of our efforts to help others. The improvement of psychotherapy may best be accomplished by learning to improve one's ability to relate to clients and tailoring that relationship to individual clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study measured heart-rate variability and cortisol to explore whether Compassion-Focused Imagery (CFI) could stimulate a soothing affect system. We also explored individual differences (self-reported self-criticism, attachment style and psychopathology) to CFI. Participants were given a relaxation, compassion-focused and control imagery task. While some individuals showed an increase in heart rate variability during CFI, others had a decrease. There was some indication that this was related to peoples self-reports of self-criticism, and attachment style. Those with an increase in heart rate variability also showed a significant cortisol decrease. Hence, CFI can stimulate a soothing affect system and attenuate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in some individuals but those who are more self-critical, with an insecure attachment style may require therapeutic interventions to benefit from CFI.
A new model of therapist skill development is presented. Grounded in information processing theory, it provides a comprehensive framework that accounts for a range of phenomena encountered by trainers and trainees – for example, why different training methods are needed for different elements of therapist skill. The model features three principal systems: declarative, procedural and reflective (DPR). Reflection is identified as central to therapist skill development and, accordingly, a pivotal role is given to a reflective system, which enables therapists to reflect and build on their conceptual (declarative) knowledge and procedural skills. The DPR model incorporates a taxonomy of therapist skills, and explains why different skills develop in different ways at different rates. It highlights the centrality of therapists' perceptual skills, and of when-then rules, plans, procedures and skills (rules that determine when to implement what interventions with which patient under what conditions) in the development of therapist expertise. It makes a distinction between personal and professional selves (the self-schema vs. the self-as-therapist schema); and it identifies the role of the personal self in therapist skill development. While there are still many questions to be investigated, it is hoped that the model will stimulate researchers and provide guidance for trainers.
This chapter considers the role that mindfulness and compassion can play in helping people who come from difficult and traumatic
backgrounds. These individuals often have a highly elevated sense of threat – both from the outside (what others might do
to them) and from the inside (feeling overwhelmed by aversive feelings or memories; or their own selfdislike/ contempt for
themselves). The basic view is that traumatic backgrounds sensitise people to become overly reliant on processing from their
threat systems.
Describes the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and its relationships with measures of social functioning, self-esteem, emotionality, and sensitivity to others. 677 male and 667 female undergraduates served as Ss. Each of the 4 IRI subscales displayed a distinctive and predictable pattern of relationships with these measures, as well as with previous unidimensional empathy measures. Findings provide evidence for a multidimensional approach to empathy. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
After defining empathy, discussing its measurement, and offering an example of empathy in practice, we present the results of an updated meta-analysis of the relation between empathy and psychotherapy outcome. Results indicated that empathy is a moderately strong predictor of therapy outcome: mean weighted r = .31 ( p < .001; 95% confidence interval: .28–.34), for 59 independent samples and 3599 clients. Although the empathy-outcome relation held equally for different theoretical orientations, there was considerable nonrandom variability. Client and observer perceptions of therapist empathy predicted outcomes better than therapist perceptions of empathic accuracy measures, and the relation was strongest for less experienced therapists. We conclude with practice recommendations, including endorsing the different forms that empathy may take in therapy.
To facilitate a multidimensional approach to empathy the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) includes 4 subscales: Perspective-Taking (PT) Fantasy (FS) Empathic Concern (EC) and Personal Distress (PD). The aim of the present study was to establish the convergent and discriminant validity of these 4 subscales. Hypothesized relationships among the IRI subscales between the subscales and measures of other psychological constructs (social functioning self-esteem emotionality and sensitivity to others) and between the subscales and extant empathy measures were examined. Study subjects included 677 male and 667 female students enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes at the University of Texas. The IRI scales not only exhibited the predicted relationships among themselves but also were related in the expected manner to other measures. Higher PT scores were consistently associated with better social functioning and higher self-esteem; in contrast Fantasy scores were unrelated to these 2 characteristics. High EC scores were positively associated with shyness and anxiety but negatively linked to egotism. The most substantial relationships in the study involved the PD scale. PD scores were strongly linked with low self-esteem and poor interpersonal functioning as well as a constellation of vulnerability uncertainty and fearfulness. These findings support a multidimensional approach to empathy by providing evidence that the 4 qualities tapped by the IRI are indeed separate constructs each related in specific ways to other psychological measures.
In this chapter, we discuss the role of empathy as the main precursor for prosocial behavior, taking perspectives that span from social and developmental psychology to social neuroscience. We begin by introducing compassion fatigue in caregivers as a form of pathological altruism. We move on to introduce such relevant concepts as empathy, compassion, empathic concern, and distress; we then review relevant empirical findings from social and developmental psychology and social neuroscience. Finally, we propose a new integrative model that suggests that the term compassion fatigue should be replaced by the term empathic distress fatigue to more accurately account for symptoms of withdrawal and burnout. We conclude by outlining potential ways to circumvent the downside of too much empathy.
This article defines the construct of self-compassion and describes the development of the Self-Compassion Scale. Self-compassion entails being kind and understanding toward oneself in instances of pain or failure rather than being harshly self-critical; perceiving one's experiences as part of the larger human experience rather than seeing them as isolating; and holding painful thoughts and feelings in mindful awareness rather than over-identifying with them. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the scale is presented in a series of studies. Results indicate that self-compassion is significantly correlated with positive mental health outcomes such as less depression and anxiety and greater life satisfaction. Evidence is also provided for the discriminant validity of the scale, including with regard to self-esteem measures.
Clinical observations suggesting a relationship between spiritual experiences, life purpose and satisfaction, and improvements in physical health led to the development of an Index of Core Spiritual Experience (INSPIRIT). Data from 83 medical outpatients showed the INSPIRIT to have a strong degree of internal reliability and concurrent validity. Multiple regression analyses showed the INSPIRIT to be associated with: (1) increased life purpose and satisfaction, a health-promoting attitude; and (2) decreased frequency of medical symptoms.
Background: Occupational stress is a major problem for individuals and organizations. Stress can cause burnout, ill-health, high workforce turnover, absenteeism, lowered morale and reduced efficiency and performance.
Aims: To identify factors that contribute to stress, burnout and job satisfaction for qualified UK clinical psychologists; to identify the various coping strategies that are employed; to identify stress management interventions that have been used by members of the clinical psychology profession in the UK.
Method: Systematic review, focusing on stressors, moderators and stress outcomes and on stress management interventions.
Results: Seven studies were included in the review. Just one reported an evaluation of a stress management intervention. Reported sources of stress for clinical psychologists included client characteristics, excessive workloads, professional self-doubt and poor management. Coping strategies included talking with colleagues, and other “active” approaches to personal stress management. Up to 40% of UK clinical psychologists participating in studies were found to be experiencing “caseness” levels of distress.
Conclusions: Mental health work is stress-provoking. However, organizational and professional factors may militate against psychologists seeking and receiving support at work.
Declaration of interest: This study was undertaken with the support of the Wales Office of Research and Development for Health and Social Care.
The SWLS consists of 5-items that require a ratingon a 7-point Likert scale. Administration is rarely morethan a minute or 2 and can be completed by interview(including phone) or paper and pencil response. The in-strumentshouldnotbecompletedbyaproxyansweringfortheperson.Itemsofthe SWLSaresummedtocreatea total score that can range from 5 to 35.The SWLS is in the public domain. Permission isnot needed to use it. Further information regardingthe use and interpretation of the SWLS can be foundat the author’s Web site http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/∼ediener/SWLS.html. The Web site alsoincludes links to translations of the scale into 27languages.
A compassionate love scale was developed that can be used, in alternative forms, to assess compassionate or altruistic love for different targets (e.g., close others and all of humankind). Using three samples (total N= 529), the Compassionate Love scale was developed and piloted. Three studies (total N = 700) were then conducted to provide validation of the scale and to examine correlates of compassionate love. In support of our predictions, compassionate love was found to be associated positively with prosocial behavior, as directed both to close others and to all of humanity. Those who were more religious or spiritual experienced more compassionate love than those who were less religious or spiritual. Evidence was found that compassionate love is distinct from empathy. In the final study, we introduced a relationship-specific version of the Compassionate Love scale, and found that compassionate love for a specific close other was associated with the provision of social support for that person.
The present study examined the link between self-compassion and concern for the well-being of others. Other-focused concern variables included compassion for humanity, empathetic concern, perspective taking, personal distress, altruism and forgiveness. Participants included 384 college undergraduates, 400 community adults, and 172 practicing meditators. Among all participant groups, higher levels of self-compassion were significantly linked to more perspective taking, less personal distress, and greater forgiveness. Self-compassion was linked to compassion for humanity, empathetic concern, and altruism among community adults and meditators but not college undergraduates. The strength of the association between self-compassion and other-focused concern also varied according to participant group and gender. The strongest links tended to be found among meditators, while women tended to show weaker associations than men.
The present study was designed to develop a brief instrument to measure empathy in health care providers in patient care situations. Three groups participated in the study: Group 1 consisted of 55 physicians, Group 2 was 41 internal medicine residents, and Group 3 was composed of 193 third-year medical students. A 90-item preliminary version of the Empathy scale was developed based on a review of the literature and distributed to Group 1 for feedback. After pilot testing, a revised and shortened 45-item version of the instrument was distributed to Groups 2 and 3. A final version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy containing 20 items based on statistical analyses was constructed. Psychometric findings provided support for the construct validity, criterion-related validity (convergent and discriminant), and internal consistency reliability (coefficient alpha) of the scale scores.