Effects of the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Program

Summary

The efficacy of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program has been widely researched. However, research on the efficacy of a standardized program, specifically focused on self-compassion skills, such as the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program remains scarce. Moreover, the use of long-term follow-ups and the analysis of regular practice of mindfulness and self-compassion over time to identify possible changes in inflammatory activity and in biomarkers associated with diseases has been even less analysed and represent a gap in this area. In this context, a main hypothesis is proposed: MSC training and the subsequent regular practice will contribute to improve mental health, self-reported health status, psychological wellbeing and health-related biomarkers. This research uses a RCT design to analyse our main hypothesis. Our RCT design includes three conditions, i.e. MSC group compared to a well-established protocol MBSR training group and to a waitlist control group (CG), and four moments of measure, i.e. pre- and post-training, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups. Participants in the experimental conditions will receive, respectively, the MSC and MBSR 8-week trainings and afterwards they will go on with weekly MSC/MBSR guided practices over a 12-month period. In addition to an analysis of the relative efficacy of MSC compared to MBSR and CG, we will also study the mechanisms involved in the efficacy of MSC training.

Conditions

• Self-compassion
• Mindfulness
• Mental Health
• Well-being
• Inflammatory Response
• Cardiovascular Health

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training

8-week Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) intervention protocol, developed by Germer and Neff (2013, 2019). After the training, participants will enter a 12-month phase of regular MSC-based supervised practice.

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training

8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention protocol, as developed by Stahl \& Goldstein (2010). After the training, participants will enter a 12-month phase of regular MBSR-based supervised practice.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• José Ramón Yela, PhD · Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca

• Antonio Crego, PhD · Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-11-14

Primary Completion

2024-02-19

Completion

2024-02-19

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations