Self-compassion and the Mitigation of Negative Affect in the Era of Social Distancing.
Fang Guan, Yun Wu, Wei Ren, Pei Zhang, Bo Jing, Zhuo Xu, Sheng-Tao Wu, Kai-Ping Peng, Ji-Bo He
Mindfulness 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-021-01674-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial (with two pilot experiments and an online survey) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown |
| Interventions | Self-compassion meditation Self-compassion writing |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Covid-19 Negative emotions Self-compassion Telehealth |
| Key findings | Across an online survey, two pilot experiments, and a randomized controlled study, self-compassion exercises were associated with lower negative affect, and participants who completed self-compassion writing showed significant increases in self-compassion and decreases in negative affect compared with controls. The authors conclude that even brief online self-compassion exercises helped alleviate anxiety and reduce negative emotions during the pandemic lockdown. |
Abstract
The outbreak of contagious diseases and their associated non-pharmaceutical interventions can lead to negative mental health consequences. This study aimed to investigate online self-compassion exercises' effectiveness in alleviating people's negative affect (anxiety and negative emotions) during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Study 1 examined the associations between self-compassion and negative affect using an anonymous online survey. In study 2, two pilot experiments were conducted to examine online self-compassion exercises' (i.e., instructor-guided meditation and self-guided writing) effectiveness to mitigate individuals' negative affect. In study 3, a randomized controlled study was conducted to further examine online self-compassion writing's effectiveness in reducing people's negative affect. The results of study 1 indicated a significant negative association between self-compassion and participants' negative affect. Participants in study 2a reported significant decreases in negative affect after completing the self-compassion meditation. Study 2b showed that participants who completed the self-compassion writing reported significantly more self-compassion and less anxiety when compared to participants who did not. Study 3 showed substantial pre/post-test changes in participants who completed self-compassion writing. Importantly, there were significant increases in participants' self-compassion and decreases in negative affect when compared to participants in the control condition. Self-compassion exercises were effective to alleviate individuals' anxiety and reduce negative emotions (even within a brief session) during the pandemic lockdown. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-021-01674-w.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.