Compassion-Based Meditation in African Americans: Self-Criticism Mediates Changes in Depression.
Suzanne B Johnson, Bradley L Goodnight, Huaiyu Zhang, Irene Daboin, Bobbi Patterson, Nadine J Kaslow
Suicide & life-threatening behavior April 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12347 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA randomized trial with 59 low-income African American men and women who had recently attempted suicide found that a six-session compassion meditation program reduced self-criticism more than a six-session support group. Reduced self-criticism fully accounted for the link between the meditation program and decreased depressive symptoms, suggesting that targeting self-criticism may help reduce depression in this population.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 59 |
| Population | Low-income African American men and women who had recently attempted suicide |
| Intervention | Support group |
| Dose | six sessions |
| Duration | Pre- to posttreatment |
| Key finding | Compassion meditation reduced self-criticism more than a support group, and changes in self-criticism fully mediated the reduction in depressive symptoms. |
Abstract
This study examines self-criticism as a mechanism through which compassion meditation reduces depressive symptoms in low-income African American men and women (N = 59) who had recently attempted suicide. After completing several measures, including the Levels of Self-Criticism Scale and Beck Depression Inventory-II, participants were randomly assigned to receive either a six-session compassion meditation (CM) group (Grady Compassion and Meditation Program) or a six-session support group. As predicted, path analysis results showed that treatment condition led to changes in self-criticism from pre- to posttreatment, with those receiving CM showing greater reductions in levels of self-criticism than those randomized to the support group. Path analyses also revealed that changes in self-criticism fully mediated the link between condition and changes in depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance and value of targeting levels of self-criticism in compassion-based interventions to reduce the depressive symptoms of suicidal African Americans.