Feasibility of the Internet Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy (iABCT)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the internet Attachment-based compassion Therapy (iABCT) to promote wellbeing and mental health for the general population.

A feasibility open trial and single-arm study will be conducted with three measurement points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after the intervention (post-), and 3-month follow-up, where participants will be allocated to iABCT.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of Compassion-based Intervention (CBI) delivered over the internet in Spanish.

Compassion refers to a multidimensional psychological construct that involves the feeling that arises in presence of another's suffering and implies the desire to help. There is a growing number of studies pointing out the benefits of Compassion-based Interventions (CBI) and their association with psychological health. CBI are focused on training compassion to others and/or towards oneself (self-compassion) employing formal and informal meditation practices. Recent scientific literature is emerging to prove the feasibility and efficacy of cultivating compassion over the Internet and, thus, delivering self-applied online CBI.

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the internet Attachment-based compassion Therapy (iABCT) to promote wellbeing and mental health for the general population. A secondary aim is to explore the preliminary efficacy of iABCT at post-intervention and 3-month follow-up.

The principal hypothesis is that the iABCT will be feasible and well-accepted by participants in terms of expectations, satisfaction, usability, opinion, and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, it is expected that the iABCT will be effective to promote changes in self-reported measures of compassion, self-compassion, mindfulness, self-criticizing, attachment, wellbeing, and mental health. It is also hypothesized that gains will be maintained at 3-month follow-up.

A minimum of 35 participants is considered enough to cover the aims of this feasibility study and to provide precise and efficient estimations of parameters (i.e., means, standard deviations, effect size, and confidence intervals) for powering a larger randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Be 18 years old or over.
* Have adequate knowledge to understand and read Spanish.
* Have a computer with speakers and Internet access in a secure setting (home or private office).
* Have an email account.
* Ability to use a computer and to surf the Internet.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of mental disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health Disorders-Version 5 (DSM-5).
* Abuse or dependence on alcohol or other substances.
* Be receiving psychiatric or psychological treatment,
* Be engaged in ongoing formal meditation training (e.g., mindfulness or compassion intervention).
* Presence of heart disease, cardiorespiratory illness, or other severe medical condition.
* History of epileptic crisis.
* Unavailability to complete the online intervention because of operation or medical intervention.