Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Self-Compassion and Psychological Health Among Young Adults With a History of Childhood Maltreatment
Diane Joss, Alaptagin Khan, Sara W. Lazar, Martin H. Teicher
Frontiers in Psychology October 23, 2019 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02373 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study with waiting list control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 38 |
| Population | Young adults aged 22-29 with mild-to-moderate childhood maltreatment |
| Intervention | mindfulness-based behavioral intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Self-compassion Clinical psychology Mediation Intervention counseling Depression economics |
| Citations | 63 |
| Key points | The mindfulness-based intervention reduced stress and anxiety and increased mindfulness and self-compassion, with changes in self-compassion partially mediating the relationship between changes in mindfulness and changes in anxiety. |
Abstract
Individuals who were maltreated during childhood are faced with increased risks for developing various psychological symptoms that are particularly resistant to traditional treatments. This pilot study investigated the effects of a mindfulness based behavioral intervention for young adults with childhood maltreatment history. This study looked at self-report psychological questionnaires from 20 subjects (5 males) before and after a mindfulness-based behavioral intervention, compared to 18 subjects (6 males) in the waiting list control group (age range 22-29); all subjects experienced mild-to-moderate childhood maltreatment. Our results showed that the mindfulness group had reduced stress (t(18) =-3.529, p = 0.002, d =0.809) and anxiety (t(19) = -2.945, p = 0.008, d = 0.659), as well as increased mindfulness (t(17) = 2.265, p = 0.037, d = 0.534) and self-compassion (t(15) = 4.505, p < 0.001, d = 1.126). No significant changes were observed in the waiting list control group. Linear mixed effects model analyses revealed significant group by time interaction on stress (F(1,36)=9.486, p = 0.004), anxiety (F(1,36) = 7.079, p = 0.012), and self-compassion (F(1,32) =11.159, p = 0.002). Partial correlation analyses showed that after controlling for group identity and childhood maltreatment severity, changes in mindfulness positively correlated with changes in self-compassion (r = 0.578, p = 0.001, df = 26), which negatively correlated with changes in depression (r = -0.374, p = 0.05, df = 27) and anxiety (r = -0.395, p = 0.034, df = 27). Changes in self-compassion mediated, in part, the relationship between changes in mindfulness and changes in anxiety (average causal mediation effect = -4.721, p = 0.014). We observed a dose-dependent effect of the treatment, i.e., the number of intervention sessions attended were negatively correlated with changes in stress (r = -0.674, p = 0.002, df = 16), anxiety (r = -0.580, p = 0.009, df = 17), and depression (r = -0.544, p = 0.020, df = 16), after controlling for the individual differences in childhood maltreatment severity. Our results suggest that, to some extent, the mindfulness-based intervention can be helpful for improving self-compassion and psychological health among young adults with a childhood maltreatment history.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 20
- Childhood adversity severity modulates the associations between adaptive psychological changes and amygdala volumetric changes in response to behavioral interventions. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports 2024
- Temporal dynamics and long-term effects of a mindfulness-based intervention for young adults with adverse childhood experiences. Mindfulness September 1, 2024
- Neural correlates of reduction in self-judgment after mindful self-compassion training: A pilot study with resting state fMRI. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders March 1, 2025
- Enhancing Traumatic Stress Recovery Through Nonattachment Principles: A Scoping Review Journal of Personalized Medicine December 9, 2025
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Psychological Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry July 30, 2025
and 15 more in the library
Cites 20
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2004
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Health Care Professionals: Results From a Randomized Trial. International Journal of Stress Management May 1, 2005
- Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the mental health of therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology May 1, 2007
and 15 more in the library