Investigating the Effect of the 6-Week Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Emerging Adults (EYL) on Stress Response, Brain Activity, and Self-Compassion Among Chinese University Students: An Electroencephalogram (EEG) Quasi-experimental Study Using Portable EEG Headband.

A six-week Mindful Self-Compassion program called Embracing Your Life improved self-compassion, mental well-being, and perceived stress, and marginally increased resilience, in Chinese university students. Portable EEG recordings showed reductions in alpha and beta brainwave power during mindfulness and self-compassion tasks, with theta activity suppressed during mindfulness but partially recovering during self-compassion. The lowest power across all frequency bands occurred during formal practice, suggesting deeper meditative engagement and neural efficiency. The findings indicate that self-compassion practices engage unique neural mechanisms beyond traditional mindfulness meditation and support the use of portable EEG devices for monitoring such interventions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) programs have demonstrated benefits for psychological well-being, yet their neurophysiological mechanisms remain underexplored, particularly in naturalistic settings using portable electroencephalography (EEG). This study examined the effects of a six-week MSC program, Embracing Your Life (EYL), on stress response, brain activity, and self-compassion among Chinese university students. A quasi-experimental design was used with 62 participants (31 in the experimental group and 31 in the control group; mean age = 26.6 years). The experimental group participated in six weekly 1.5-h EYL sessions, while the control group received no intervention. EEG data were collected using a portable headband (channels AF7, AF8) during baseline and post-intervention, involving three meditation tasks: resting state, mindfulness breathing, and a self-compassion break. Power spectral density (PSD) was calculated, and self-reported measures included self-compassion (SCS-SF), perceived stress (PSS), resilience (CD-RISC), mindfulness attention (MAAS), and well-being (SWEMWBS). Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data, controlling for baseline differences. The experimental group showed significant improvements in self-compassion (MD = + 0.28, p = 0.003), mental well-being (+ 1.75, p < 0.001), and perceived stress (- 3.48, p < 0.001), with a marginal increase in resilience (+ 2.88, p = 0.045). EEG analyses revealed condition-specific reductions in alpha and beta power during mindfulness and self-compassion tasks, with significant Group × Time interactions (e.g., alpha: Wald χ2 = 14.55, p < 0.001; Wald χ2 = 225.34, p < 0.001). Theta activity showed nuanced patterns, with suppression during mindfulness and partial recovery during self-compassion. While during the intervention, formal practice segments exhibited the lowest power values across all frequency bands, indicating deeper meditative engagement and enhanced neural efficiency. The EYL program improved psychological outcomes and induced distinct EEG changes. These findings support the feasibility of portable EEG devices for monitoring mindfulness-based interventions and suggest that self-compassion practices engage in unique neural mechanisms beyond traditional mindfulness meditation. Future research should employ larger samples and multi-channel EEG to validate these results.