Effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on shame, self-compassion and psychological distress in anxious and depressed patients: A pilot study.
Michael Proeve, Rebekah Anton, Maura Kenny
Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice December 2018 DOI: 10.1111/papt.12170 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Single-group pre-post pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | Service users with clinically diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorders in a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy programme |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Rumination Self-compassion Shame |
| Key points | Self-compassion increased and self-coldness decreased, while shame-proneness, rumination, anxiety, and stress symptoms decreased from pre- to post-treatment. Depressive symptoms, guilt-proneness, and external shame did not significantly reduce. The authors suggest mindfulness-based approaches may help increase self-compassion and reduce shame-proneness, and that shame-proneness may benefit more than external shame. |
Abstract
The tendency to experience shame or guilt is associated differentially with anxiety and depression, with shame being associated with greater psychopathology. Correlational studies have shown self-compassion to be related to lower shame and rumination, and mindfulness-based interventions increase self-compassion. Therefore, mindfulness-based interventions may decrease shame. This pilot study aimed to assess the association of shame, rumination, self-compassion, and psychological distress and the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on these measures in a clinical sample. Single-group design with pre-test and post-test measures. Thirty-two service users who experienced clinically diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorders in a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy programme were assessed before and twenty-two after therapy with measures of shame-proneness, external shame, rumination, self-compassion, and psychological distress. Shame-proneness and external shame were positively correlated with self-coldness, and external shame was positively correlated with stress and depressive symptoms. Self-compassion increased and self-coldness decreased, while shame-proneness, rumination, anxiety, and stress symptoms decreased from pre- to post-treatment. There was no significant reduction in depressive symptoms, guilt-proneness, or external shame. Our preliminary findings suggest that mindfulness-based approaches may be helpful in increasing self-compassion and reducing shame-proneness in mixed groups of anxious and depressed patients. Controlled studies of the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on shame in clinical populations are warranted. Shame-proneness and external shame showed different patterns of relationship with depressive and stress symptoms and with self-compassion. Shame-proneness decreased to a greater extent than external shame decreased following participation in an MBCT group. Mindfulness-based interventions may benefit shame-proneness to a greater extent than external shame.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- From antidepressants and psychotherapy to oxytocin, vagus nerve stimulation, ketamine and psychedelics: how established and novel treatments can improve social functioning in major depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024
- Psychophysiological stress response after a 6-week Mindful Self-Compassion training in psychiatric rehabilitation inpatients: a randomized post-test only study Frontiers in Psychiatry July 18, 2023
- Rumination and alexithymia serially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and anxiety symptoms in Chinese university students. Scientific Reports July 16, 2025
- The Effects of Mindfulness on Shame: Exploring Mediation by Cognitive Flexibility and Self-Compassion in a Chinese Adult Population. PsyCh Journal December 10, 2024
- The Effect of a Mindfulness Course on Self-Compassion Among Occupational Therapy Students Mindfulness October 1, 2024
and 2 more in the library
Cites 10
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- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic depression: A preliminary study Behaviour Research and Therapy February 13, 2009
- Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators The Journal of Positive Psychology April 11, 2012
- Pilot Study of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Trainee Clinical Psychologists Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy December 13, 2010
- Mindfulness-based interventions for people diagnosed with a current episode of an anxiety or depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. PLoS One June 15, 2016
and 5 more in the library