Mindfulness, Compassion, and Self-Compassion Among Health Care Professionals: What's New? A Systematic Review
Frontiers in Psychology July 31, 2020 C. Conversano, Rebecca Ciacchini, G. Orrú et al.
A systematic review of 58 studies examined mindfulness and compassion in health care professionals (HCPs), who face high burnout and compassion fatigue risks. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) improved and maintained mindfulness and self-compassion, and reduced burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress. Mindfulness-related trainings improved mindfulness and self-compassion but did not affect compassion fatigue. Compassion-related interventions improved self-compassion, mindfulness, and interpersonal conflict. Mindfulness reduced negative affect and compassion fatigue, while compassion satisfaction may relate to positive affect. The authors suggest combining structured mindfulness and compassion training to enhance effects and improve comparability across future studies.