Making Friends With Yourself: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of a Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Adolescents.
Karen Bluth, Susan A Gaylord, Rebecca A Campo, Michael C Mullarkey, Lorraine Hobbs
Mindfulness December 19, 2015 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-015-0476-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized waitlist-controlled crossover pilot study (mixed-method) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 14-17 |
| Intervention | "Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens" (MFY) |
| Duration | 6-week class; assessments at baseline, after the first cohort's intervention, and after waitlist crossovers participated |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Adolescents Teens Self-compassion Emotional wellbeing |
| Key points | The authors report that the 6-week "Making Friends with Yourself" program was feasible and acceptable for adolescents. Compared with waitlist controls, the intervention group showed significantly greater self-compassion and life satisfaction and significantly lower depression, with trends toward greater mindfulness, social connectedness, and lower anxiety. Pooled post-intervention results showed significantly greater mindfulness and self-compassion and significantly less anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and negative affect, with self-compassion and mindfulness predicting these changes. |
Abstract
The aims of this mixed-method pilot study were to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary psychosocial outcomes of "Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens" (MFY), an adaptation of the adult Mindful Self-Compassion program. Thirty-four students age 14-17 enrolled in this waitlist controlled crossover study. Participants were randomized to either the waitlist or intervention group and administered online surveys at baseline, after the first cohort participated in the intervention, and after the waitlist crossovers participated in the intervention. Attendance and retention data were collected to determine feasibility, and audiorecordings of the 6-week class were analyzed to determine acceptability of the program. Findings indicated that MFY is a feasible and acceptable program for adolescents. Compared to the waitlist control, the intervention group had significantly greater self-compassion and life satisfaction and significantly lower depression than the waitlist control, with trends for greater mindfulness, greater social connectedness and lower anxiety. When waitlist crossovers results were combined with that of the first intervention group, findings indicated significantly greater mindfulness and self-compassion, and significantly less anxiety, depression, perceived stress and negative affect post-intervention. Additionally, regression results demonstrated that self-compassion and mindfulness predicted decreases in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and increases in life satisfaction post-intervention. MFY shows promise as a program to increase psychosocial wellbeing in adolescents through increasing mindfulness and self-compassion. Further testing is needed to substantiate the findings.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 21
- Mindfulness in Education: Insights Towards an Integrative Paradigm 2021
- The Role of Attentional Control in Mindfulness Intervention for Emotional Distress: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Longitudinal Mediation Analyses. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 2024
- Positive Psychology and Buddhism Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality 2023
- Neural correlates of reduction in self-judgment after mindful self-compassion training: A pilot study with resting state fMRI. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders March 1, 2025
- Exploring the Effects of Mindfulness on Adolescent Depression-Findings from a Longitudinal Study. Healthcare April 15, 2025
and 16 more in the library
Cites 8
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
- Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment April 11, 2011
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction for the treatment of adolescent psychiatric outpatients: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009
- Assessing adolescent mindfulness: Validation of an Adapted Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in adolescent normative and psychiatric populations. Psychological Assessment 2011
- A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self-compassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology October 15, 2012
and 3 more in the library