Testing a Brief and Low Intensity Self-compassion Intervention

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The investigators' recent feasibility trial of a self-compassion and active control intervention showed that the self-compassion intervention was promising in reducing state body shame during a 40-minute intervention session. There were three time points where the reduction in the body shame level was significant, indicating three active components in the intervention that led to significant reduction in state body shame. It is unclear if a shorter self-compassion intervention based on only the active components would be as effective as the longer intervention at reducing state body shame. Such a short intervention then could be used as an in-session change method (15-20 mins) as part of a larger package, or as a homework exercise.

Official Title
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Testing a Brief and Low Intensity Self-compassion Intervention for State Body Shame Among Adult Women: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Body Image Disturbance, Body Image, Shame

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Self-compassion comprising compassionate body scan-1, compassion body scan-2 and short noticing practice
* Behavioral: Self-compassion comprising self-compassion break, loving kindness meditation, and breathing exercise.
* Behavioral: Distraction group


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age ≥ 18 years Self-identified women Be able to use a computer and have an Internet connection Exclusion Criteria: Insufficient knowledge of English Learning disability or psychiatric illness requiring secondary care intervention Male Under 18 years old No access to a tablet or computer with an internet connection Body mass index below 18.5

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Only Active components<br>15 minutes, once | Behavioral: Self-compassion comprising compassionate body scan-1, compassion body scan-2 and short noticing practice<br>* This intervention includes 3 short meditations that are identified as the active component in the previous study (ID: NCT04665167)<br>|
| Sham Comparator: Inactive components<br>15 minutes, once | Behavioral: Self-compassion comprising self-compassion break, loving kindness meditation, and breathing exercise.<br>* This intervention includes 3 short meditations that are identified as the inactive component in the previous study (ID: NCT04665167)<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Distraction group<br>15 minutes, once | Behavioral: Distraction group<br>* Participants will be asked to listen recording on irrelevant topic.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change from baseline Subjective units of shame (SUS) at the end of the intervention | Subjective units of shame (SUS), taken at four points during the intervention (scored 0 no shame to 100 full of shame) | through study completion, an average of 3 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Body Image States Scale | It will be used to assess transient feelings about the body and physical appearance. A 6-item scale measures current body-image experiences at a particular point in time or in a specific context. Possible scores range from 6 to 54, and higher scores indicate more positive body image (better outcome). | through study completion, an average of 3 months | 
| Shame subscale of the State Shame and Guilt Scale | It will be used to test state shame. Possible scores are ranged from 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate worse state shame. | through study completion, an average of 3 months |