scholarly journals Using Compassion Focused Therapy as an adjunct to Trauma-Focused CBT for Fire Service personnel suffering with trauma-related symptoms

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Beaumont ◽  
Mark Durkin ◽  
Sue McAndrew ◽  
Colin R. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Fire Service ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Service Personnel ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Compassion Focused Therapy ◽  
Bear Witness ◽  
Post Therapy

AbstractIndividuals working for the emergency services often bear witness to distressing events. This outcome study examines therapeutic interventions for Fire Service personnel (FSP) experiencing symptoms of trauma, depression, anxiety and low levels of self-compassion. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) as an adjunct to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) in reducing symptoms of trauma, anxiety and depression and increasing self-compassion. A convenience sample (n= 17) of participants, referred for therapy following a traumatic incident, were allocated to receive 12 sessions of either TF-CBT or TF-CBT coupled with CFT. The study employed a repeated-measures design. Data were gathered pre- and post-therapy, using three questionnaires: (1) Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; (2) Impact of Events Scale-R; (3) Self-Compassion Scale – Short Form. TF-CBT combined with CFT was more effective than TF-CBT alone on measures of self-compassion. Significant reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, hyperarousal, intrusion and avoidance and a significant increase in self-compassion occurred in both groups post-therapy. The study provides some preliminary evidence to suggest that FSP may benefit from therapeutic interventions aimed at cultivating self-compassion. Further research is warranted using a larger sample size and adequately powered randomized controlled trial, to detect statistically significant differences and to negate the risk of confound due to low numbers resulting in significant differences between groups at baseline. Using CFT as an adjunct to TF-CBT may help FSP, who bear witness to the distress of others, cultivate compassion for their own suffering.

scholarly journals Self-Compassion and Anxiety and Depression in Chronic Physical Illness Populations: a Systematic Review

Mindfulness ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Hughes ◽  
Stephen L. Brown ◽  
Sophie Campbell ◽  
Shannon Dandy ◽  
Mary G. Cherry
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
English Language ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Physical Illness ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Chronic Physical Illness ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Reporting Data

Abstract Objectives Anxiety and depression are common in chronic physical illness populations. Self-compassion, the motivation and the capacity to alleviate one’s own suffering, is associated with reduced anxiety and depression in mental health populations. This review aimed to collate available research showing links between self-compassion and anxiety and depression in chronic physical illness populations. Methods This study is a systematic review of English language studies investigating univariate and multivariate correlates of anxiety and depression by self-compassion constructs in adult chronic physical illness populations. Results Twenty papers, reporting data from 16 unique studies, were included. Half sampled cancer patients. Self-compassion scores consistently showed moderate to large inverse associations with anxiety and depression over both univariate (r = −.37 to −.53 and r = −.38 to −.66, respectively) and multivariate analyses (β =.01 to β = −.55 and β = −.17 to β = −.59, respectively). Worry and depressive brooding, and shame, mediated relationships between self-compassion and anxiety and depression. Conclusions Although findings suggest that self-compassion processes may have a role in alleviating anxiety and depression in chronic physical illness populations, methodological limitations limit confidence in this proposition. Prospective studies that identify theoretically plausible mediators and moderators are required before the development or modification of therapeutic interventions.

Do we Worry about the Past and Grieve for the Future? Situated Anxiety or Depression, Mood Valence and Affective Time Travel, Separated by Experiment in a Questionnaire

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Booth
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Affective Response ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Verbal Stimuli ◽  
Psychometric Scales ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

Some psychologists have viewed sadness and depression as reactions to past loss, while regarding fear and anxiety as responses to future threat. Such assumptions conflict with common experience of gloom about the future and worry about the past. Recent research on these issues by experiment and/or by questionnaire remains inconclusive. The psychometric questionnaires purport to be situation-free and the laboratory experiments use artificial tasks; hence, neither approach addresses realities in the present, past or future. In recent psychometrics, the distinction between anxiety and depression has been dissolved into one category of negative affect. One widely used inventory for separating the two emotions conflates depression with the absence of a good mood. These deficiencies were addressed in a diverse convenience sample (N = 379) by running an experiment entirely within a questionnaire. Each of the 40 question items was a miniature vignette, describing a past or future emotive situation while in bad or good mood. Five categories of situation varied in proportion of threat to loss. Strength and valence of affective response were measured by degree of autobiographical assent to or dissent from an item. This inventory provides fully affect-balanced situation-oriented depression / anxiety scaling.Effect sizes from analysis of variance showed that anxiety arises from past as well as future threats, while depression is at least as strongly oriented to losses in the future as in the past. Variation in category of situation or in valence of mood also had substantial effects. It is concluded that worry and gloom travel freely across time and situations, whether present mood is bad or good. Both laboratory experiments and psychometric scales come closer to actual processes of emotion and motivation when they revivify familiar situations using valence-balanced verbal stimuli.

scholarly journals Cultivating the compassionate self against depression: An exploration of processes of change

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S356-S356 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Matos ◽  
J. Duarte ◽  
C. Duarte ◽  
J. Pinto-Gouveia ◽  
P. Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Processes Of Change ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Compassion Focused Therapy ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionCompassion and self-compassion can be protective factors against mental health difficulties, in particular depression. The cultivation of the compassionate self, associated with a range of practices such as slow and deeper breathing, compassionate voice tones and facial expressions, and compassionate focusing, is central to compassion focused therapy (Gilbert, 2010). However, no study has examined the processes of change that mediate the impact of compassionate self-cultivation practices on depressive symptoms.AimsThe aim of this study is to investigate the impact of a brief compassionate self training (CST) intervention on depressive symptoms, and explore the psychological processes that mediate the change at post intervention.MethodsUsing a longitudinal design, participants (general population and college students) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Compassionate self training (n = 56) and wait-list control (n = 37). Participants in the CST condition were instructed to practice CST exercises for 15 minutes everyday or in moments of stress during two weeks. Self-report measures of depression, self-criticism, shame and compassion, were completed at pre and post in both conditions.ResultsResults showed that, at post-intervention, participants in the CST condition decreased depression, self-criticism and shame, and increased self-compassion and openness to receive compassion from others. Mediation analyses revealed that changes in depression from pre to post intervention were mediated by decreases in self-criticism and shame, and increases in self-compassion and openness to the compassion from others.ConclusionsThese findings support the efficacy of compassionate self training components on lessening depressive symptoms and promoting mental health.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Post-Graduate Training and Professional Development: Exploring the Nexus Between Self Compassion and Compassion Fatigue Among Mental Health Clinicians Working With Trauma Survivors

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Nicole L. Arkadie ◽  
Allen E. Lipscomb
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Compassion Fatigue ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Self Compassion

Mental health clinicians who work with clients who have experienced severe trauma are at greater risk of developing compassion fatigue. Limited prior research investigated the relationship between self-compassion and compassion fatigue. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to assess the relationships of self-compassion and duration of professional service to compassion fatigue among licensed mental health clinicians who worked with clients that have experienced trauma in southern California. Two research questions asked whether self-compassion and duration of professional service were significantly related to compassion fatigue. The researcher collected primary data for the variables of interest via an online survey using two validated instruments, SCS-SF and ProQOL-Version 5. The study was conducted with a convenience sample of (n = 67) licensed mental health clinicians who resided in southern California. The results of non-parametric Kendall’s tau-b correlations revealed a significant inverse correlation between self-compassion and compassion fatigue, τb = -0.273, p = .002. The correlation between duration of professional service and compassion fatigue was nonsignificant, τb = -0.104, p = .299. These results are vital and relevant to the field as they justify further research, training and professional development in this area, leading to the development of clinical interventions that are needed to mitigate compassion fatigue symptoms among this population.

scholarly journals A Corpus Linguistic Analysis of Public Tumblr Blog Posts on Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy M. Greaves ◽  
Cass Dykeman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
Emotional Pain ◽  
Corpus Linguistic ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Compassion Focused Therapy ◽  
Blog Posts

Rates of Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has have steadily been on the risen among in adolescents and young adults. This study collected pro-NSSI public blog posts from Tumblr on pro-NSSI and analyzed the content linguistically using LIWC software. , examining the The NSSI -specific words, the linguistics properties and the psychological linguistic properties were examined. The results align with similar studies conducted on understanding the language markers of mental health. For NSSI specific word categories, the methods of engaging in NSSI was the most frequently used in the Tumblr blogs. This aligns with literature about the need for people to express their emotional pain to others who may understand. The linguistic properties demonstrated some unique results that can be best explained by the numbing feeling that is found in individuals who utilize NSSI and their tendency to avoid expressing painful experiences in a manner that would increase their vulnerability. The psychological properties of these public Tumblr posts were revealed through the dominantly in a negative emotional tone of the writing, which is also indicative of anyone struggling with severe mental illness. These findings suggest that treatment which specializes in shame and increasing self-compassion, such as Compassion Focused Therapy, would be more beneficial to these individuals who struggle with pain, shame and emotional distress than current treatment programs.

SELF-COMPASSION IN ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: RELATIONSHIP OF SELF-COMPASSION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S55-S55
Author(s):  
Nicole Neiman ◽  
Ann Ming Yeh ◽  
Rachel Bensen ◽  
Elvi Sanjines ◽  
Anava Wren
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Pain Interference ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Mental Health Diagnosis ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Health Diagnosis ◽  
Physical Outcomes

Abstract Background Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are at increased risk for poor psychological and physical well-being. Self-compassion (i.e., understanding and acceptance towards oneself) has been associated with better psychological and physical outcomes in AYA with chronic health conditions. There is limited research exploring self-compassion in AYA with IBD. Aims To examine: 1) the reliability of a Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF), and 2) how self-compassion relates to physical (i.e., pain interference, fatigue) and psychological (i.e., stress, anxiety, depression) outcomes in a sample of AYA with IBD. Methods This study was a collaboration with ImproveCareNow, and all procedures were approved by Stanford’s Institutional Review Board. Study participants included 85 AYA (mean=18 yrs) with IBD (52% Crohn’s; 55% female; 61% White). Participants completed a one-time online survey. The internal reliability of SCS-SF was a = 0.88, indicating high internal consistency. Hierarchical linear regression (HLR) analyses examined the unique contribution of self-compassion to pain interference, fatigue, physical stress, psychological stress, anxiety, and depression after controlling for significant demographic and medical variables (sex, IBD diagnosis, mental health diagnosis). Results The overall HLR models were significant for all dependent variables. For physical outcomes, the overall model examining pain interference was significant (F(3, 72) = 4.517; P = 0.003), with sex, IBD diagnosis, and mental health diagnosis accounting for 13% of the variance in pain interference. Self-compassion accounted for an additional 20% of the variance in pain interference over and above demographic/medical variables. For psychological outcomes, the overall model examining anxiety was significant (F(3, 73) = 15.54; P < 0.001), with sex, IBD diagnosis, and mental health diagnosis accounting for 33% of the variance in anxiety. Self-compassion accounted for an additional 46% of the variance in anxiety over and above demographic/medical variables. HLR also demonstrated that self-compassion was a significant independent predictor of pain interference (b = -0.30, P = 0.015), fatigue (b = -0.38, P = 0.001), psychological stress (b = -0.51, P = < 0.001), anxiety (b = -0.41, P = < 0.001), and depression (b = -0.59, P = < 0.001). Participants reporting higher levels of self-compassion had less pain interference, fatigue, stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion Preliminary results suggest self-compassion may be an important factor in explaining the variability of key physical and psychological outcomes among AYA with IBD. Research should investigate self-compassion in diverse IBD populations, and explore if feelings of kindness and acceptance towards oneself can be a protective factor for AYA by supporting positive coping and adjustment to IBD.

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