Compassionate hearts protect against wandering minds: Self-compassion moderates the effect of mind-wandering on depression.
Jonathan Greenberg, Tanya Datta, Benjamin G. Shapero, Gunes Sevinc, David Mischoulon, Sara W. Lazar
Spirituality in Clinical Practice August 2, 2018 DOI: 10.1037/scp0000168 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Depressed sample |
| Intervention | Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation Depression |
| Keywords | Self-compassion Moderation Clinical psychology Mind-wandering Depression economics Rumination Depressive symptoms Psychotherapist Cognition |
| Citations | 37 |
| Key findings | Self-compassion protects against the deleterious effects of mind-wandering on depressive symptoms in depressed individuals, and MBCT increases self-compassion and reduces mind-wandering. |
Abstract
Depression is associated with high levels of mind-wandering and low levels of self-compassion. However, little is known about whether and how these two factors interact with one another to influence depressive symptoms. The current study examined the interaction between mind-wandering, self-compassion and depressive symptoms in a depressed sample and tested the effects of an eight-week Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program on these constructs. At baseline, mind-wandering was associated with higher depressive symptoms only among individuals with low self-compassion. Self-compassion additionally predicted depressive improvement. As expected, MBCT increased self-compassion and reduced mind-wandering compared to a treatment-as-usual control group. Overall, longitudinal changes in self-compassion produced a moderation effect similar to the one at baseline so that increases in mind-wandering were associated with increases in depressive symptoms only among those who decreased in self-compassion. Results provide the first evidence that self-compassion can protect against the deleterious effects of mind-wandering among depressed participants, both at baseline and longitudinally. Findings also suggest that self-compassion is an effective predictor of depressive improvement. Finally, MBCT is effective not only at reducing depressive symptoms, but also at targeting protective and risk factors associated with depression.