A Pilot Study and Randomized Controlled Trial of the Mindful Self-Compassion Program
This paper reports the first tests of the Mindful Self-Compassion programme, an eight-week course designed to teach the skill rather than merely measure it. A small pilot found gains in self-compassion, mindfulness and several wellbeing measures from before to after the course. The second study is the one that matters: a randomised controlled trial comparing twenty-five people taking the course with twenty-seven on a waiting list. Those who took it reported significantly larger increases in self-compassion, mindfulness and wellbeing than the control group, and the gains were still present at six months and a year. Two cautions. The sample is small and predominantly female, and a waiting-list control does not account for the effect of attending a structured group with an instructor for eight weeks, so part of the benefit may belong to the format rather than the content. The trial was conducted by the programme's developers.
This paper reports the first tests of the Mindful Self-Compassion programme, an eight-week course designed to teach the skill rather than merely measure it. A small pilot found gains in self-compassion, mindfulness and several wellbeing measures from before to after the course. The second study is the one that matters: a randomised controlled trial comparing twenty-five people taking the course with twenty-seven on a waiting list. Those who took it reported significantly larger increases in self-compassion, mindfulness and wellbeing than the control group, and the gains were still present at six months and a year. Two cautions. The sample is small and predominantly female, and a waiting-list control does not account for the effect of attending a structured group with an instructor for eight weeks, so part of the benefit may belong to the format rather than the content. The trial was conducted by the programme's developers.
Written from the abstract, OpenAlex.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
Pilot N = 21; randomised trial n = 25 treatment against n = 27 waitlist, mean ages 51 and 49, roughly 80 per cent female.
Where we use it
- Why You Are Kinder to Your Friends Than to Yourself, Why We Care
Reliability of this reference
The link below was matched against the publisher's record on title, first author and year, and all three agree.
The source
https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923
DOI: 10.1002/jclp.21923