Mindful self-compassion for veteran women with a history of military sexual trauma: feasibility, acceptability, potential benefits, and considerations.
Tosca D Braun, Prachi H Bhuptani, Bailey O'Keefe, Ana M. Abrantes, Eliza Marsh, Cathryn Glanton Holzhauer
European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2023 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2301205 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quality improvement project (non-randomized program evaluation) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9 |
| Population | Women veterans with a history of military sexual trauma at a Vet Center in the Northeastern United States |
| Interventions | Mindful Self-Compassion training (MSC) trauma-informed yoga (TIY) |
| Duration | 8-week program |
| Topics | Meditation PTSD |
| Keywords | Humans Feasibility studies Veterans United states Female Self-compassion Military sexual trauma Mental health Yoga Salud mental Tms Mst Tept Autocompasión |
| Key points | The authors infer that an 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion program may be feasible, acceptable, and beneficial for women survivors of military sexual trauma, with depressive and PTSD symptom severity decreasing by about 21% and 30% among completers. They suggest that temporary distress during the program ("backdraft") may be ameliorated by adjunctive trauma-informed yoga. |
Abstract
Background: Military sexual trauma (MST) is reported by up to 74% of women veterans in the United States and is a driver of poor behavioural and physical health. Self-compassion is a transdiagnostic, protective factor linked with improved posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and health behaviours. Thus, Mindful Self-Compassion training (MSC) may help ameliorate MST-related impacts. However, MSC can also temporarily increase distress (i.e. backdraft). Delivering it with elective trauma-informed yoga (TIY), which regulates acute distress, may help address this issue.Objective: This VA quality improvement project examined feasibility, acceptability, and reported benefits and challenges of a manualized 8-week MSC including within non-randomized subgroups: MSC (n = 4) and MSC+ elective TIY classes (MSC+; n = 4).Methods: Nine women veterans with a history of MST at a Vet Center in the Northeastern U.S.A. enrolled; eight completed, excluding one MSC+ participant. Measures included attrition (n = 9), attendance (n = 8), weekly (n = 8) and posttreatment acceptability (n = 6), validated symptom severity assessments (n = 7), and an exit interview (n = 8).Results: Among completers, MSC attendance was excellent (89%) and higher among in MSC+ vs. MSC (94% vs. 84% sessions completed). On average across the two groups, depressive and PTSD symptom severity decreased by 21% and 30%, respectively. In exit interviews, participants across groups described improved coping with distress and psychiatric symptoms, reduced stress, and improved self-care and health behaviours. Although women in both groups reported backdraft during the programme, MSC+ also reported healthier coping and improved emotional processing.Conclusion: The results of this programme evaluation infer MSC may be feasible, acceptable, and beneficial for women survivors of MST in one Vet Center in the Northeastern USA. Further, temporary elevations in MSC-related distress may be ameliorated with adjunctive TIY. Given requests of women veterans in the USA. for additional complementary and integrative health treatment options, formal research on these approaches is warranted.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on PTSD, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Loving‐Kindness Meditation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study Journal of Traumatic Stress July 25, 2013
- Classical mindfulness: an introduction to its theory and practice for clinical application. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences August 1, 2009
- Compassion Meditation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: A Randomized Proof of Concept Study Journal of Traumatic Stress March 31, 2019
- Psychophysiological Responses to a Brief Self-Compassion Exercise in Armed Forces Veterans Frontiers in Psychology January 18, 2022
- Loving-Kindness Meditation vs Cognitive Processing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans JAMA Network Open April 1, 2021
and 2 more in the library