Comparison of the effectiveness of compassion-based mindfulness training and self-treatment training on cognitive distortion and self-compassion in adolescent girls with anxiety symptoms
Elahe Sarfarazi, ToktamSadat JafarTabatabaei, SamanehSadat JafarTabatabaei, Fatemeh Shahabizadeh
مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تربت حیدریه September 1, 2025 DOI: 10.61882/jmsthums.13.3.1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Adolescent girls with anxiety symptoms in Torbat Jam city |
| Interventions | compassion-based mindfulness training self-treatment training |
| Duration | Eight 90-minute sessions, with follow-up |
| Measures | Neff's Self-Compassion Scale (2003), Ellis's Cognitive Distortion Questionnaire (1998) |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Both compassion-based mindfulness training and self-treatment training significantly reduced cognitive distortions and improved self-compassion in adolescent girls with anxiety symptoms, with effects stable over time. Self-treatment training was significantly more effective than compassion-based mindfulness for improving self-compassion. |
Abstract
Background & Aim: Adolescent girls suffering from anxiety face various psychological problems; therefore, they require specific and effective interventions.The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-based mindfulness training and self-treatment training on cognitive distortion and self-compassion in adolescent girls with anxiety symptoms.Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with three groups and a pretestposttest-follow-up plan.Among adolescent girls with anxiety symptoms in Torbat Jam city, 45 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups.Data were collected using Neff's Self-Compassion Scale (2003) and Ellis's Cognitive Distortion Questionnaire (1998).The first experimental group received compassion-based mindfulness training, and the second experimental group received self-treatment training during eight 90-minute sessions.Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA in SPSS version 26, with a significance level of 0.05. Results:The results showed that both compassion-based mindfulness and self-treatment training significantly reduced cognitive distortions and improved self-compassion among adolescent girls with anxiety symptoms, and these effects remained stable over time (p ≤ 0.05).The follow-up test indicated a significant difference between the two approaches in improving self-compassion (p ≤ 0.05), with the self-treatment approach being more effective.Conclusion: Both compassion-based mindfulness and self-treatment training are effective in enhancing self-compassion and reducing cognitive distortions; however, self-treatment training demonstrated greater effectiveness.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. | 2010 | Experimental study | |
| Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience | 2013 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 15 |
| Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience Community adults | 2009 | Quasi-experimental and longitudinal | n = 69 |
| Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 11 |