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A randomized controlled trial of self-compassion versus cognitive therapy for complex psychopathologies

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Abstract

Third wave cognitive behavioural therapy has drawn attention to the value of interventions focusing on improved psychological functioning and wellbeing, rather than recovery or absence of disorder alone. The current study compared behavioural therapy combined with either self-compassion training or cognitive therapy (experimental treatment with standard treatment) in a randomized controlled trial for an initial presentation of a depressive disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder at a publicly funded outpatient unit. A battery of reliable and valid scales to assess the severity of the presenting problem and level of self-compassion were administered at both commencement and end of a 12-week treatment intervention. Basic sociodemographic variables were also recorded. Effective randomization was achieved for all variables except self-compassion, for which the standard treatment group reported higher levels than the experimental group. The greater efficacy of the experimental protocol was indicated by significant time by group interactions in severity measures over time in the experimental group relative to the standard group. This study contributes to a relatively fledgling literature on the therapeutic efficacy of self-compassion, providing both researchers and clinicians with valuable insight into the circumstances in which training in self-compassion may be of potential benefit when incorporated into standard practice. The trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (TRN 12617000885392, June 16, 2017).

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Data Availability

The data reported in this study are available from the author upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Programs, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia

    Zhila Javidi

  2. College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia

    Kirsty N. Prior & Malcolm J. Bond

  3. Flinders Psychological Therapy Services, Southern Mental Health Services, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, South Australia, 5042, Australia

    Tracey L. Sloan

Authors
  1. Zhila Javidi
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  2. Kirsty N. Prior
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  3. Tracey L. Sloan
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  4. Malcolm J. Bond
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Correspondence to Malcolm J. Bond.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures described were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committees of the authors and the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments, or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Javidi, Z., Prior, K.N., Sloan, T.L. et al. A randomized controlled trial of self-compassion versus cognitive therapy for complex psychopathologies. Curr Psychol 42, 946–954 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01490-4

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