Meditation buffers medical student compassion from the deleterious effects of depression.

A training program called cognitively-based compassion training (CBCT) can increase compassion and reduce loneliness and depression in second-year medical students. Students who received CBCT reported greater compassion compared to those on a wait-list, and the boost in compassion was strongest among those who began with high levels of depression, suggesting the training may help break the connection between personal distress and reduced compassion for others.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Increasing data suggest that for medical school students the stress of academic and psychologicaldemands can impair social emotions that are a core aspect of compassion and ultimately physiciancompetence. Few interventions have proven successful for enhancing physician compassion inways that persist in the face of suffering and that enable sustained caretaker well-being. To addressthis issue, the current study was designed to (1) investigate the feasibility of cognitively-basedcompassion training (CBCT) for second-year medical students, and (2) test whether CBCT decreasesdepression, enhances compassion, and improves daily functioning in medical students. Comparedto the wait-list group, students randomized to CBCT reported increased compassion, and decreasedloneliness and depression. Changes in compassion were most robust in individuals reporting highlevels of depression at baseline, suggesting that CBCT may benefit those most in need by breakingthe link between personal suffering and a concomitant drop in compassion