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Exploring the international utility of progressing Compassionate Mind Training in School Settings: A comparison of Implementation Effectiveness of the same curricula in the UK and Portugal.

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Abstract

Given current retention and well-being crises within the teaching profession worldwide, this research sought to explore implementation efficacy of a Compassion Mind Training (CMT) programme in cross-cultural school-settings. A 6-module CMT curriculum was implemented in teaching staff of two primary schools in the UK (N=76) and one primary school in Portugal (N=41). Results revealed that high-quality implementation was achieved across the UK and Portuguese cohorts, with the majority of staff providing extremely positive ratings regarding all aspects of module content, delivery, and interest/relevance. Moreover, recommendation of the CMT to others was the modal response across cohorts. These findings indicate that CMT in school settings has international appeal and utility in helping educators manage educational-based stresses.
Citation: 
  !"#$%
&'$%%$(%
)*)%+*$'$",*-'
**./%
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
Exploring the international utility of progressing Compassionate
Mind Training in School Settings: A comparison of
Implementation Eectiveness of the same curricula in the UK and
Portugal
Abstract
-  *      62%  *  6    *%
$'66*%#$ $
,**& ' $  (% (! $%  *2
**2%72(**6$
 *% , ' 6 $& *   ./ 807!  
$&*%89:!;- %2&
$6 *- * ./ % *
6<&',$-%#&$-%%%
  $*  '    *  -&    =-*
-  *  '    (      6    
$ * * ( 4% *  (  *
%      $$    &    $%  *
%*2
Introduction
(*%'*%$***
*&6>%**%&$%
*%      '-  **$  6  -  
**#$ :0*$1 ?'
./  *  -    $'  6    4  @  &  *%
#*- 6> **& %    "*
)$$ $ ")  :3!   -6 ' : 07 *
$'  '    70?  '  *  *  -  
&6>*&A' :B!$@9?
'  *      <  C'D   C6&D  $*  %-&  
=$&*1:?1?$*-&!56
* %& $$ &  $' $& 
*%* ./6 $'
    *%  $'  626  %  E      :75
*    :0!   %      *  *
*    -    0@?  '  *  $  %  -  '
 6 @? $% #   39? % 
-$'F :3! Moreover, %
--*6$%-'&
  * & - * 6  -$
*&* :@!
;*%%  %6% * 6  *% $' 
6 ' $<*    $-*
%  * 6  % ' 26- $
$*&,**E :0
E%    :0 ' -6! (26- $ 6
%'*$'*26-$%
'2%!G6$$*$*
'  -  (  *    '*      6  '
*%-      $*  *%  *  #$
-*%$$'-'**$*
 :B!6*=&$***&
 :B!#$$$*&'*$2%
(!    *  %  (    - '  *$2'*
$&   : !  * '  ' $** 
$&**  $  '  (!  %    *-  
$&%*$&*%*$***-62%5
  $*4*&    *    $$    %  %$  %
)$*4*&  * *    -&  
6>%'   *%  '* ' %
$-*'*#$%#*6
 ' *$ %& $**   
-%&'72($%6*,
$-  62%  ;  -      -  6  6
*-  6  ,  $%  $-&      #$*  '  
**$**&#*$**6*
6%4**'2*$%4**
 '2** (* & ' - 4 ' (
'%6,*(**
%(*%&$6&'
$%      *  **    *    '*
$*&*%%-*%62%
A ** $*'&6-6-&'
$EH>H 3!--
-'$,**
 :B!  %2& $    * '
,*-*%$%I
'6'&*-#$  $$*&'
  %  *  %        %2-  '
%,$%6&$'$$'
$*6#$$,**&'(
*2**2%*%%'**6
$$&
Methodology
 !
6% ' %-$ $ 
./     :B! - #2 ** 6
%&./%=$
%  (  **  6    *  %  '  (    ./
)*4%$ :B!$*
&        %  '    (    %  6*  6
* '  '6% * ! $&  6 
6    *  **  %    %  '    6  (
**JK&* '  66 6*
-6*&6#$*(
./*$'=%
*$'
  :  '*    6  *$    *%  -&  
=      '          -  
-=$-*,'C(*>&
JD    6    %&  **  *  *
%  6>%  %  &  %    %%  *
'&#%
*,C**D'6*
*      -   %  &      *  
--6 ' $&%*     2 $
 6   >  ,   ** *
* ' 6  D 6 - 
      %%      *    %&  %
%%*$*
1'*%*$6%'
%& $** *   >& '* '   .%
%&  ,  6  >    -%      *  $*  '
*$+: 6 $*&   ' 5 
%*%51*=- $'
'(6%%%C*$D
C*$'DC*$'D),6>
-$& 6  , &$ ' %&  $**
&'*'%
  9  -  $*$   #$      ' *$#  
$*$'%%#$*%
'$-#$66%6&
6 *  6 & - '% ' % #&  
****#$%6*'
*%-,6*
  $**  '  C*$  D  6*  --  $*  '
*$$*%'
  @  '*    #$%    %%    '*&  
&''2**6%*%%
%%  6  D    **  6  %  %  *-&
%%*$'2**6%%6%*
    %&    *  $**  *  *  '*
&  '  '2**    6   6*    *$  '2
***%
7*%,#$6*$6&
'-%-&&'5K6'*$6,*
>  *$  '6    $  '    *    **
* * >% ** ,  * %=$$
$'%$$*%*6
K*%*$-''&,
6>6*$-6$*
6&6>>'6'(
-6$*>,**!
&'*$*$6>$**
%  %    %&  *  *    
$  &  *$*=>    &
$    $'  -      %%  '    
  '  #$  '*>    6  ,  %%    
  $**      ,*  *  6    
*
"!#!
    ./    (  6  **    *$&  *
$'-$H!6*%,'6*&
**:81B5*810!%$&'
(6**$2H6*%,'%
2*& $* *    9: $*$ $$*
1*%, 03?!$ %(-
('  '"% %*% 
(  -    6  $%  &    %  
    $-  '      %  **  6  #-
#$    (=(        -$  
=$'( %
 :@ :0 :35 :0!-
*>    6  **>  &        %
*$&6%***
%%'(**6
*    ./    %      !  $  =  $2
$%6*
$'*$**-*
*6
$&6,*6
./%$'(&46
  '  %    **    %  
6'26./&6':@2
    $%   *%  
(6%  !    %        6  '  
% '*   #$ $** *% %$ %
K*'4&*'*>*
)*&./*:&$(*
,(*@ ?''2$2,6
$    *    %    $&  
*%=$  ,    &  $-5  %  '  
2*%,H6*$&%(
6  $  &    *%  ,  (&      ./  
  6  **      26>&     -    $  '
$$#&  :  6>!  6    %      6
** 6>&   - $ ' 7 6>! 
*6-%6($%-
%*

   #$ *2* $,*- '
*(-*6$-6
%2'-' (%2
'  *  #    %    $*  '  -&  
$#* ** -
*  * $ 6G % *
**$    5  6  -  -  -5
  (  :  *  !    ,  6  >   L$  **  
$      K*  &  -  '      $-
&M),6>6&6*
%&&&!
Results
./*$ ' ' 6$*6 
J)  ' "*  *! E  - ' 6
*$*#(%%' @ @1'
*$ $ &    %*$ '  '
6  $  '    %    **  
E  :7  -  '  6  *$  *    #  (
 %% '   1 *$ $   
K*%** N-$%
,-'('*'./%
$    $    (  :    &  
    *    *    %  <&  '  ,
$  *  -& ( * 33? B:? 37?
 0? ' , $%  $*  *- *-&
$***-$*-&6C<%D6
./,6-(*$
%  ,  1:?  -  77?  $*-&!    $%  
-**'%**
6 %& -& $-    $ (  *
*77? ' $*$$   66& 5
71?  $      6  -&  -    01?  6
*    %      (    %  ,  
$    %      $'    ./  ,  91?  -  00?!
6'./$*$<&',9B?!$
6C6$'D
(:E
Conclusion
( $$ '  $ * 6  #$ $
,**&'(*2**2%6<*-'
%% ** 6  $$  & ( 
*%$$,6*
'****&*6./
%!;-<*-6
  *  ./  % * %2&
$  6  *-  6    <&  '  ,  $-%
#&  $-  %  %%    $*  '    *
-&    =-*  &  *  *
*'*$%6 
$  (  4%    #&  $  %-    %2
&$*',*-*
  %  $%    *  ,*  62%  *
H>H 35 :B!-6
*& -% 6  - $4&6
-!--@ &D
#$*%*$2-66
-%>%66
    %  '  (    *$2'*  $&    '
#$ :9!
E6-  $    $%  4%  $    $
,*6-&%$$%&
$*'$'-./
$$)*& %,%&$(
$'./,&6*,*
-        (  6    ./  ,  %  C6
-D  *$  C-& -D '  % ,
(,**K*,*%6
6*:@./%!
 %  ' (  *2% &     :B!
-$''(6*$
%*I&%%
6@  (6 % $    
$*$      %%      K*  $    #$
$**
*,*K*'*-
$2'(H./%$*-&(
#$    *  *  J*     :BB@!  %
  $%  &    %=%        
$6    -      ./  *  '*%    %
*,&--&%
(  *    K*    -&        '  
-  '  *-        &          ./
$  *    %  62    #$*  %
&    -&        '  ./    -
*-K*:@2$6*6
$*&$-%'1&*
$$*H%*$./,
%***#*'
*  C$2D  **  *%  *!    $%    
%  *%  $'  ('        CD  
%  *  >  *  *      *
&-$*&,*&D*
'*%%2%'
$'F :3!
(*%**$*
  - (  * %  $ 
&$%*%*"#*&6(
$'6<*'2%%*#$
'  $&*%*  $&%* * ' (  *
62%!  &    %%  '6   (    (  
**    **  $$    *%  *%&  6
 ' -6  /&    :0! #$ '
$  ,*-  *  '  *    -  
'-,**&
Ethical Approval
 *$* *- $$- '  E )**
;*"* .-&' H&6
*&' &*%&  "* )** ' .-& '
./*$*6'**6
J)*'*** :3!($
$'%%2%%$<*,**&'(*
%*./%
References
J*E:BB@!&
$*-*$&(*"*$"%
&:!:102:93
* :0!;*'*
;-'+
$+==$*$>=$=* :7:0=**=**=:BB=:B
B$'
H>OH" 3!$+
-6'*K*'$$%
*'*,*%$*O'
&&*%&9:129!10P1@ 
") :3!(*2%#;-'+
$+==666*$$$$
%>=='=4=*=*Q6%Q#Q :3$'
 : !$'*$&+H*-
'+;%
 :9!(%'*$'*
$&JO'*&*%&@1:!729:
H/;)
OJO :0!(-$'*$%%
**''$!#'
9:!9
E/ :0!E$$&(*%
+#
E;O%/GH-;
%( :7!%%6%
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-'0:!:91P:@9
/&OI(%)); :0!2&
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2&',*'26---
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$-(#93:!:@213
%OE'
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: ::!9@2@3
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 :3!E6#$**$%
K*,*-B9!:92:1@
HO2-O :0!(%'
''*$+)*>''''
*$$&*$%&$)
"#*##:@:3!3 923:B
2-OH%
 :@!(A)*2+H-$-'
-''#"
+,0972::
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-()*)&&+(*'
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H-$371!B9@PB@9+: ::::=*-:199
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7 :  
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TUF("*TV%IF(".
$/0/;-'$+==666'$'$=W
81B*8770
))&(;<;O
 :B!'%./*&*+$*
&$$*4*'*'$
': !107P13B
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6 Mean (%)
























 
Pace of Delivery
 
            
 ! 89 100 74 92 76 100 76 93 71 96 90 97 79 96
Material Covered
"#!             
$%              
 ! 87 100 79 96 84 96 93 96 75 100 91 100 85 97
Interaction
"#! 
$%            
 ! 80 100 62 100 68 100 82  64 91 86 93 74 97
Practice Sessions
 
              
 ! 75 83 59 88  93 66 71 61 55 68 90 63 80
Interest Held
&%'             
(%(%              
)% 70 90 54 79  89 50 64 68 55 54  56 77
Motivate to
Attend
&"*%+             
(%!
"*%+
    60  68  61  60  58 
,%'"*%+  60  71  82    55  80  66
Relevant
&%%*-              
(%!%%*-     60      54   
,%'%%*- 62 73 56 58   68 82 54 73  67 53 72
Helpful
&.%/0              
(%!.%/0     68      57  
,%'.%/0 62 70 51   64  82  96  97  77
Recommend
Training
&%'              
"'1%           51  
)% 72 87 67   96  93 50 100  100 53 93
Table 1. 2%*--/%#%- %0!%3"-*%-(+%41'4(+%15-+!%50-#-0
 %%6%-
Table Caption: &(%#- Bold%/%%-%/-%!#%(+%/-%%(+%/-%%7 %%!-
8-%9#%%/-%
... In addition, CMT has been found to increase other factors such as self-reassurance, social safeness, and pleasure (Irons & Heriot-Maitland, 2021;Maratos et al., 2019Maratos et al., , 2020, which are known as facilitators of compassion (Gilbert, 2017b). On the other hand, in addition to reducing psychopathology such as anxiety and depression (e.g., Matos et al., 2022aMatos et al., , 2022b, CMT has been found to reduce fears of experiencing compassion, self-criticism, and external shame, such as the perception that others in the society judge and criticize oneself (e.g., Gilbert & Procter, 2006;Irons & Heriot-Maitland, 2021). ...
... This was the first study to explore CMT in an Asian sample in comparison to a Western sample. Online CMT studies are distinctly scarce (Halamova et al., 2020) and there is also a dearth of cross-cultural CMT studies (Maratos et al., 2019(Maratos et al., , 2020Matos et al., 2021Matos et al., , 2022a. Additionally, the use of an online CMT was particularly appropriate due to the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic for both Sri Lankan and UK participants (Halder, 2020;Wang et al., 2020). ...
... Although there was a high attrition rate, participants who completed the feedback questions indicated that they found the CMT useful and accessible, and that they would recommend the CMT to others. This suggests that the CMT is a feasible practice for the public, which was also demonstrated in previous cross-cultural studies (Maratos et al., 2020;Matos et al., 2021Matos et al., , 2022aMatos et al., , 2022b. ...
Article
Full-text available
Abstract Objectives Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) is a therapeutic approach proven to be effective for reducing distress and increasing well-being in clinical and non-clinical populations. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of a short-term, online version of the CMT on compassion, distress, and well-being in a cross-cultural, non-clinical sample of Sri Lankan and UK people. Method A randomized controlled trial with pre-, post-measurements, and a 2-week follow-up was conducted using CMT (n = 21 Sri Lankan, n = 73 UK) and wait-list control (n = 17 Sri Lankan, n = 54 UK) groups. The intervention effects were investigated using a series of repeated-measures ANOVAs using intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. Results The 2-week CMT was effective in increasing all aspects of compassion in both Sri Lankan and UK people. In addition, some cross-cultural similarities and differences (in the factors affecting compassion) were present in the improvements following CMT between the two countries, which were maintained at a 2-week follow-up. Conclusion This study provides promising evidence for the efficacy and cross-cultural applicability of CMT for reducing distress and increasing well-being.
... To the authors' knowledge, this was the first crosscultural study to explore the efficacy of CMT in an Asian sample. Online CMT studies are distinctly scarce (Halamova et al., 2020) and there is also a dearth of cross-cultural CMT studies (Maratos et al., 2019(Maratos et al., , 2020Matos et al., 2021Matos et al., , 2022a. Additionally, the use of an online CMT was particularly appropriate due to the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic for both Sri Lankan and UK participants (Halder, 2020;Wang et al., 2020). ...
... In addition, although most participants dropped out before completing the CMT, those who completed the feedback questions indicated that they found the CMT useful, easy to access, and that they would recommend the CMT to others. This suggests that the CMT is a feasible practice for the public, which was also demonstrated in previous cross-cultural studies (Maratos et al., 2020;Matos et al., 2021Matos et al., , 2022a. The following sections will discuss the implications of the results in more detail. ...
... In addition, whilst the CMT includes practices to improve all three flows of compassion, the focus is weighted towards improving self-compassion (Irons & Heriot-Maitland, 2021, Timings, 2022, which may be a reason why compassion to or from others did not improve with large effect sizes in the UK group who already had relatively higher scores (compared to the Sri Lankan group) prior to CMT. Despite the different effects, results are in line with previous studies (Irons & Heriot-Maitland, 2021;Matos et al., 2017a;Maratos et al., 2020), that the CMT can improve people's compassion towards themselves and others in not just Western cultures, but Eastern cultures as well. Improvements in compassion across the three flows were also maintained at a two- ...
Thesis
Full-text available
The concept and benefits of practicing compassion have been recognised and discussed in the contemplative traditions for thousands of years. However, it is within the last two to three decades, that research and psychotherapy have shown an increased interest in integrating compassion for addressing mental health difficulties and increased well-being. Although heavily influenced by Buddhist philosophy and Eastern traditions, compassion related studies and interventions are mostly developed and applied in the Western communities. In fact, compassion-based studies are particularly scarce in the Asian context. Therefore, whilst briefly outlining the theories and existing compassion-based interventions, this thesis explored the cross-cultural applicability of compassion-based interventions in the Asian communities. A rigorous qualitative investigation discussed that compassion is a culturally embraced concept in Sri Lanka, a Buddhist influenced, collectivistic Asian community, and discussed the challenges Sri Lankan participants (n = 10) experience when practicing compassion. Participants discussed that showing compassion to others was easier than showing compassion to themselves, whilst religion, society, and upbringing influenced these experiences. To understand whether these compassionate experiences are similar across cultures, a cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among Sri Lankan (n = 149) and UK (n = 300) participants. This study indicated that some similarities (e.g., compassion to and from others, depression, anxiety) and some differences (e.g., self-compassion and self-reassurance, fears of compassion and external shame were higher in the Sri Lankan group, and social safeness was higher in the UK group) existed in the levels of compassion, and facilitators and inhibitors of compassion across the two samples. Therefore, it was important to note that the impact of compassion-based interventions might have cross-cultural differences. To test this, a longitudinal Compassionate Mind Training was implemented among Sri Lankan (n = 21) and UK participants (n = 73), which produced promising results towards increasing compassion for the self and others, along with significant reductions in distress and improvements in well-being in participants across both countries. Thus, this thesis suggests that although research is limited in exploring the cross-cultural applicability of compassion, compassion-based interventions can be used effectively in the Asian communities.
... Finally, the qualitative experience of the CMT-T for both participants and facilitators suggested that future iterations of the program might benefit from extending the duration of sessions and length of the program [87]. Another study explored the international utility of the CMT-T and concluded this is a feasible, useful and effective intervention in cross-cultural educational settings, not only in terms of introducing and promoting a compassion-based school ethos but also on cultivating the psychological wellbeing of those working in education [91]. ...
... The 8-week CMT-T is a refined version of the 6-week CMT-T curriculum [87], which was developed based on an earlier version of the program for school staff designed and tested by Maratos et al. [32] and on a brief CMT program for the general public [67]. The feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the pilot version of the CMT-T showed promising results in Portugal and the UK [87,91]. However, the implementation and evaluation of this pilot version indicated that the program could be improved in a few aspects [87]. ...
... Growing empirical support has highlighted the beneficial impact of compassionate-based interventions on improving emotional regulation skills central to stress regulation [63]. In educational settings, the Compassionate Schools Research Initiative developed and examined the impact of a Compassion Mind Training intervention for Teachers (CMT-T), in schools in Portugal and the UK, and found empirical support for its international utility, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness on a range of mental health indicators [32,87,91]. The current study intended to expand this preliminary evidence and test the feasibility and effectiveness of a refined version of the CMT-T on teachers' psychological distress, wellbeing, compassion to self and others, and heart rate variability (HRV), using a randomised controlled and stepped wedge design in a larger sample. ...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives Schools are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis, with teachers reporting high levels of stress and burnout, which has adverse consequences to their mental and physical health. Addressing mental and physical health problems and promoting wellbeing in educational settings is thus a global priority. This study investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of an 8-week Compassionate Mind Training program for Teachers (CMT-T) on indicators of psychological and physiological wellbeing. Methods A pragmatic randomized controlled study with a stepped-wedge design was conducted in a sample of 155 public school teachers, who were randomized to CMT-T ( n = 80) or a waitlist control group (WLC; n = 75). Participants completed self-report measures of psychological distress, burnout, overall and professional wellbeing, compassion and self-criticism at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-months follow-up. In a sub-sample (CMT-T, n = 51; WLC n = 36) resting heart-rate variability (HRV) was measured at baseline and post-intervention. Results CMT-T was feasible and effective. Compared to the WLC, the CMT-T group showed improvements in self-compassion, compassion to others, positive affect, and HRV as well as reductions in fears of compassion, anxiety and depression. WLC participants who received CMT-T revealed additional improvements in compassion for others and from others, and satisfaction with professional life, along with decreases in burnout and stress. Teachers scoring higher in self-criticism at baseline revealed greater improvements post CMT-T. At 3-month follow-up improvements were retained. Conclusions CMT-T shows promise as a compassion-focused intervention for enhancing compassion, wellbeing and reducing psychophysiological distress in teachers, contributing to nurturing compassionate, prosocial and resilient educational environments. Given its favourable and sustainable effects on wellbeing and psychophysiological distress, and low cost to deliver, broader implementation and dissemination of CMT-T is encouraged.
... Even though the cross-cultural implementation effectiveness and acceptability of the CMT-T has been previously addressed for each single session in Maratos et al. (2020), the feasibility of the overall CMT-T according to a formal feasibility framework as proposed by Bowen et al. (2009) merits further examination. In addition, the impact of CMT-T on a wider range of well-being indicators (e.g. ...
... From the initial 40 teachers who registered for the study, 31 enrolled in the CMT-T intervention. This sample is identical to the Portuguese sample used in Maratos et al. (2020). Nine participants dropped out from the study before the start of the intervention due to scheduling incompatibilities (study drop-out rate of 22.5%). ...
... These results suggest that CMT-T had positive acceptability and are in line with the ones of the earlier version of the CMT in school settings by Maratos et al. (2019). Furthermore, these feasibility results of the acceptability domain regarding the overall CMT-T evaluation mirror the findings reported in Maratos et al. (2020) pertaining to the positive ratings regarding the distinct modules' content, delivery, and interest/relevance across the Portuguese and UK staff. It is worth noting the rating scale used in overall acceptability of the programme reported in this study had 5 response categories (from nothing to extremely), whereas in the single session evaluation, only 3 response categories were used (which varied depending on the topic being assessed, e.g. ...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives Mounting research has supported the beneficial effects of compassion-based interventions for improving psychosocial and physiological well-being and mental health. Teachers present a high risk of professional stress, which negatively impacts their mental health and professional performance. It is crucial to make compassion cultivation a focus in educational settings, supporting teachers in coping with the school context’s challenges, and promoting their mental well-being. This study aims to test the feasibility of the Compassionate Mind Training programme for Teachers (CMT-T), as well as to preliminary explore possible mechanisms of change. Methods Participants were 31 teachers from one public school in the centre region of Portugal, who underwent the CMT-T, a six-module Compassionate Mind Training group intervention for teachers. Feasibility was assessed in six domains (acceptability, implementation, practicality, adaptation, integration, and preliminary effectiveness), using self-reports, overall programme assessment, attrition, attendance, and home practice. Using a pre-post within-subject design, changes were assessed in self-reported psychological distress, burnout, well-being, compassion, and self-criticism. Mediation analysis for repeated measures designs was used to explore mechanisms of change. Results The CMT-T was feasible in all the six domains. Participants revealed significant decreases in depression, stress, and fears of compassion to others, as well as significant increases in compassion to others, self-compassion, and compassion to others’ motivations and actions after the CMT-T intervention. When self-criticism was controlled, decreases in burnout and increases in satisfaction with professional life, and self-compassion, were also found. Fears of compassion for others mediated the impact of CMT-T on teachers’ burnout, and self-compassion mediated the intervention effect on psychological well-being. Conclusions This pilot study provides evidence that CMT-T is feasible and may be effective in promoting teachers’ compassionate motivations, attributes, and actions towards others and themselves and improving their mental health and well-being. These promising findings warrant further investigation within a randomized controlled trial.
... This latter system is associated with feelings of calm, peacefulness, security, and safety [14] and with bonding behaviors and prosocial actions toward others. Compassion is rooted in this caregiving mentality and is a prosocial motivation that has positive effects on educational climate and academic performance [15][16][17]. Particularly, empathy, compassion, and cooperation are linked to psychological well-being in adolescents [18,19] and adults [20]. Additionally, compassion-based interventions have benefits for both intra-and interpersonal relationships and seem to promote not only compassion but also self-regulation abilities in diverse populations and settings [21], including in the school context [15,16,22]. ...
... Particularly, empathy, compassion, and cooperation are linked to psychological well-being in adolescents [18,19] and adults [20]. Additionally, compassion-based interventions have benefits for both intra-and interpersonal relationships and seem to promote not only compassion but also self-regulation abilities in diverse populations and settings [21], including in the school context [15,16,22]. Despite its beneficial results, programs that complement SEL with compassionate components are still scarce in young populations or educational settings. ...
Article
Full-text available
The use of serious games may be an appealing and complementary way to motivate curriculum-based social and emotional learning (SEL); still, investigation into this potential usefulness is scarce. This study aims to address the usefulness of serious games within the program ‘Me and Us of Emotions’. Specifically, we analyzed the differences in children’s satisfaction in sessions that did or did not use serious games as a complement to the intervention, explored the contribution of using serious games to the global satisfaction with the program, and explored children’s qualitative feedback regarding the sessions. The participants were 232 children (122 boys and 110 girls) aged between 8 and 12 years old (M = 9.09, SD = 0.80). The measures were based on the subjective appraisals of the sessions made by the participating children, including quantitative and qualitative assessments of the degree of satisfaction of the participants. The results showed that there were similar levels of satisfaction with the sessions that did or did not use serious games as a complement to the program. However, only satisfaction with the sessions that used serious games (and not satisfaction with the sessions that did not use them) contributed significantly to explaining both the enjoyment of the activities and the interest in the subjects. Satisfaction with serious games was significantly and positively associated with fun, easiness, ability to understand the session, and ability to cope with emotions. Qualitative analysis showed three main themes, namely: positive aspects, negative aspects, and opportunities for improvement of the program. Overall, these results indicate that children’s satisfaction with the ‘Me and Us of Emotions’ program is related to serious games, suggesting the relevance of using this complementary tool more often when intervening with younger generations.
... Most recently,Maratos et al. (2019b),Maratos et al. (2020) and Matos et al. (submitted) have found embedding compassionate mind training (CMT) in teaching and school staff CPD is feasible, well-received and improves both physiological and psychological wellbeing. Whilst detailed inMaratos et al. (2020) this specific 6-module curriculum core content covers: what compassion is, the nature of our tricky brains, the three 11 Sensitivity: Confidential circles model of emotion (threat, drive and soothing), compassionate and mindful practices, multiple selves, embracing a compassionate compared with critical self, and compassionate communication. Now trialled with circa 600-700 educators across the UK and Portugal, this specific CMT programme leads to improvements in self-compassion, compassion towards others and improved positive affect, as well as reductions in fears of compassion anxiety and depression(Maratos et al. 2019b; Matos et al, submitted). ...
Chapter
There is growing evidence that the cultivation of compassion focused motives and emotions has profound effects on mental health and wellbeing. This chapter outlines the importance of embedding compassion in school and educational settings for pupils/students, those who teach them, and for the contextual organisation of education. Compassion based initiatives (CBIs) guide staff and pupils to understand the nature of their own minds, and that of others. This is in particular respect to managing emotions and the adverse effects of the competitive nature of education, which can lead to mental health issues in pupils and teachers. This chapter explores theory and research as to the nature of compassion as both a personal and social process and reviews the utility of specifically developed compassionate initiatives for teachers, HE students and school-aged pupils. The chapter culminates in offering practical advice and guidance for cultivating a compassionate school ethos and includes the recommendation of specific exercises and practices taken from CBI curricula.
... Most recently,Maratos et al. (2019b),Maratos et al. (2020) and Matos et al. (submitted) have found embedding compassionate mind training (CMT) in teaching and school staff CPD is feasible, well-received and improves both physiological and psychological wellbeing. Whilst detailed inMaratos et al. (2020) this specific 6-module curriculum core content covers: what compassion is, the nature of our tricky brains, the three 11 Sensitivity: Confidential circles model of emotion (threat, drive and soothing), compassionate and mindful practices, multiple selves, embracing a compassionate compared with critical self, and compassionate communication. Now trialled with circa 600-700 educators across the UK and Portugal, this specific CMT programme leads to improvements in self-compassion, compassion towards others and improved positive affect, as well as reductions in fears of compassion anxiety and depression(Maratos et al. 2019b; Matos et al, submitted). ...
Chapter
There is growing evidence that the cultivation of compassion focused motives and emotions has profound effects on mental health and wellbeing. This chapter outlines the importance of embedding compassion in school and educational settings for pupils/students, those who teach them, and for the contextual organisation of education. Compassion based initiatives (CBIs) guide staff and pupils to understand the nature of their own minds, and that of others. This is in particular respect to managing emotions and the adverse effects of the competitive nature of education, which can lead to mental health issues in pupils and teachers. This chapter explores theory and research as to the nature of compassion as both a personal and social process and reviews the utility of specifically developed compassionate initiatives for teachers, HE students and school-aged pupils. The chapter culminates in offering practical advice and guidance for cultivating a compassionate school ethos and includes the recommendation of specific exercises and practices taken from CBI curricula.
... Most recently,Maratos et al. (2019b),Maratos et al. (2020) and Matos et al. (submitted) have found embedding compassionate mind training (CMT) in teaching and school staff CPD is feasible, well-received and improves both physiological and psychological wellbeing. Whilst detailed inMaratos et al. (2020) this specific 6-module curriculum core content covers: what compassion is, the nature of our tricky brains, the three 11 Sensitivity: Confidential circles model of emotion (threat, drive and soothing), compassionate and mindful practices, multiple selves, embracing a compassionate compared with critical self, and compassionate communication. Now trialled with circa 600-700 educators across the UK and Portugal, this specific CMT programme leads to improvements in self-compassion, compassion towards others and improved positive affect, as well as reductions in fears of compassion anxiety and depression(Maratos et al. 2019b; Matos et al, submitted). ...
Chapter
There is growing evidence that the cultivation of compassion focused motives and emotions has profound effects on mental health and well-being. This chapter outlines the importance of embedding compassion in school and educational settings for pupils/students, those who teach them, and for the contextual organisation of education. Compassion-based initiatives (CBIs) guide staff and pupils to understand the nature of their own minds, and that of others. This is in particular respect to managing emotions and the adverse effects of the competitive nature of education, which can lead to mental health issues in pupils and teachers. This chapter explores theory and research as to the nature of compassion as both a personal and social process and reviews the utility of specifically developed compassionate initiatives for teachers, Higher Education students and school-aged pupils. The chapter culminates in offering practical advice and guidance for cultivating a compassionate school ethos and includes the recommendation of specific exercises and practices taken from CBI curricula.
Article
Full-text available
Objectives Teacher retention is a key issue facing schools, with stress, student behavior, current competitive policies, and practices resulting in many leaving within the first 5 years of qualification. Consequently, recent in-school research initiatives have focused on resilience training, although the quality of such conducted studies is debated. Drawn from compassion-focused therapy (CFT), this study set out to explore a six-module compassionate mind training (CMT) program with school staff to improve well-being. Methods As part of their continued professional development, over 70 teachers and support staff took part in the CMT, with a mixed-measures AAB quantitative and qualitative design employed. This enabled us to explore both implementation effectiveness and outcome effectiveness in terms of parameters of well-being. Results The initiative was well received with the majority of staff reporting positively on their experiences of the curriculum and practices. Additionally, exercise practice was associated with significant increases in self-compassion (p < 0.01) and significant decreases in self-criticism (p < 0.05). Thematic analyses further revealed benefits of CMT for dealing with emotional difficulties. Conclusions As a feasibility study, our results demonstrate many benefits of CMT in educational settings. CMT may hold promise as a way of helping those in education counteract the current competition-based nature of education, especially that which contributes to negative changes in well-being. Given this, future research should employ a control group design, a larger sample size, and a range of well-being measures at follow-up, to fully evaluate the utility of CMT in educational settings.
Article
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This paper examined the facilitators and barriers to implementation of mindfulness training (MT) across seven secondary/high schools using a qualitative case study design. Schools varied in level of implementation. Within schools, head teachers, members of school senior leadership teams, and staff members involved in the implementation of MT were interviewed individually. In addition, focus groups were conducted with other members of school staff to capture a broad range of views and perspectives. Across the case studies, several key themes emerged, which suggested four cornerstones to successful implementation of MT in schools. These were: people, specifically the need for committed individuals to champion the approach within their schools, with the support of members of the senior leadership teams; resources, both time and financial resources required for training and delivery of MT; journey, reflecting the fact that implementation takes time, and may be a non-linear process with stops and starts; and finally perceptions, highlighting the importance of members of the school community sharing an understanding what MT is and why it is being introduced in each school context. Similarities and differences between the current findings and those of research on implementation of other forms of school mental health promotion programs, and implementation of MT in healthcare settings, are discussed.
Article
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This paper explores indicators of practice quality of a brief compassion mind training (CMT) intervention and their impact on the development of an inner sense of one’s compassionate self (CS) and a range of self-report measures. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: compassionate mind training (CMT; n = 77) and wait-list control. Participants in the CMT condition practiced a range of CMT practices during 2 weeks. Each week, participants completed a feedback questionnaire, measuring practice frequency, helpfulness and embodiment of the practices in everyday life. Self-report measures of compassion, positive affect, shame, self-criticism, fears of compassion and psychopathological symptoms were also completed at pre and post. Practice frequency was associated with the frequency and easiness of embodiment of the CS. Perceived helpfulness of the practices was related to greater embodiment of the CS and to increases in compassion, reassured self, relaxed and safe affect and decreases in self-criticism. The embodiment variables of the CS were associated with higher compassion for the self, for others and from others and with improvements in reassured self, safe affect and compassionate goals. Embodiment of the CS and perceived helpfulness of the practices predicted compassion for the self and experience of compassion from others at post-intervention. Perceiving compassion cultivation practices as helpful and being able to embody the CS in everyday life is key to foster self-compassion and the experience of receiving compassion from others, as well as to promote feelings of safeness, contentment and calmness.
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Empirical and clinical research suggests that some individuals find self-generating compassion and receiving compassion from others difficult and aversive. However, it is unclear how these fears of compassion are linked to early experiences and to psychopathological symptoms. This study explores the relationship between shame traumatic memories, centrality of shame memories, early memories of warmth and safeness, fears of compassion, and depression, anxiety and paranoid symptoms. Participants were 302 individuals from the general community population, who completed self-report measures of fears of compassion, shame memories, early affiliative memories, and psychopathology. Shame traumatic and central memories were positively associated with fears of compassion for self, for others and from others, whereas early memories of warmth and safeness were negatively related to such fears. Path analyses revealed that fears of compassion for self and of receiving compassion from others mediated the effects of shame traumatic memory, centrality of shame memory and early memories of warmth and safeness on depressive, anxious and paranoid symptoms. These findings have implications for therapeutic interventions as these fears, as well as the negative shame-based emotional memories fuelling them, may need to be addressed in therapy to assist patients in self-generating and receiving compassion.
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Background Studies of the value of compassion on physical and mental health and social relationships have proliferated in the last 25 years. Although, there are several conceptualisations and measures of compassion, this study develops three new measures of compassion competencies derived from an evolutionary, motivational approach. The scales assess 1. the compassion we experience for others, 2. the compassion we experience from others, and 3. self-compassion based on a standard definition of compassion as a ‘sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it’. We explored these in relationship to other compassion scales, self-criticism, depression, anxiety, stress and well-being. Methods Participants from three different countries (UK, Portugal and USA) completed a range of scales including compassion for others, self-compassion, self-criticism, shame, depression, anxiety and stress with the newly developed ‘The Compassionate Engagement and Actions’ scale. ResultsAll three scales have good validity. Interestingly, we found that the three orientations of compassion are only moderately correlated to one another (r < .5). We also found that some elements of self-compassion (e.g., being sensitive to, and moved by one’s suffering) have a complex relationship with other attributes of compassion (e.g., empathy), and with depression, anxiety and stress.A path-analysis showed that self-compassion is a significant mediator of the association between self-reassurance and well-being, while self-criticism has a direct effect on depressive symptoms, not mediated by self-compassion. DiscussionCompassion evolved from caring motivation and in humans is associated with a range of different socially intelligent competencies. Understanding how these competencies can be inhibited and facilitated is an important research endeavour. These new scales were designed to assess these competencies. Conclusions This is the first study to measure the three orientations of compassion derived from an evolutionary model of caring motivation with specified competencies. Our three new measures of compassion further indicate important complex relationships between different potentiation’s of compassion, well-being, and vulnerability to psychopathologies.
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Objective: Scientific research into compassion has burgeoned over the past 20 years and interventions aiming to cultivate compassion towards self and others have been developed. This meta-analysis examined the effects of compassion-based interventions on a range of outcome measures. Method: Twenty-one randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the last 12 years were included in the meta-analysis, with data from 1,285 participants analyzed. Effect sizes were standardized mean differences calculated using the difference in pre-post change in the treatment group and control group means, divided by the pooled pre-intervention standard deviation. Results: Significant between-group differences in change scores were found on self-report measures of compassion (d = 0.55, k = 4, 95% CI [0.33-0.78]), self-compassion (d = 0.70, k = 13, 95% CI [0.59-0.87]), mindfulness (d = 0.54, k = 6, 95% CI [0.38-0.71]), depression (d = 0.64, k = 9, 95% CI [0.45-0.82]), anxiety (d = 0.49, k = 9, 95% CI [0.30-0.68]), psychological distress (d = 0.47, k = 14, 95% CI [0.19-0.56]), and well-being (d = 0.51, k = 8, 95% CI [0.30-0.63]). These results remained when including active control comparisons. Evaluations of risk of bias across studies pointed towards a relative lack of publication bias and robustness of findings. However, the evidence base underpinning compassion interventions relies predominantly on small sample sizes. Conclusions: Future directions are provided for compassion research, including the need for improved methodological rigor, larger scale RCTs, increased specificity on the targets of compassion, and examination of compassion across the lifespan. Although further research is warranted, the current state of evidence highlights the potential benefits of compassion-based interventions on a range of outcomes.