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Single Session Intervention for Building Self-Compassion Habits-RCT

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Transdiagnostic Psychopathology
Interventions
Behavioral: Finger-Tapping Active Control
Behavioral: Single Session Intervention Leveraging an Ultra-Brief Self-Compassion Exercise
Registration Number
NCT05199779
Lead Sponsor
University of California, Berkeley
Brief Summary

The study will test a single session self-compassion intervention that leverages an ultra-brief contemplative exercise. It will evaluate the effect of this intervention on psychopathology, stress, growth mindset, positive affect, self-compassion and the automaticity of self-compassion, as well as the relationships between these constructs and the automaticity of self-compassion. The participants will be undergraduate students at a large public university.

Detailed Description

The broad aims of the proposed research is to examine the outcomes of a single session psychological intervention and to further understand processes and factors associated with habit formation. undergraduate students at a large university will be randomly assigned to a self-compassion intervention (SCI), or an active control (AC), and complete assessments at baseline (pre-treatment) and 4 weeks later (post-treatment).

The investigators seek to examine the following: (A1) Determine whether the group who receives the SCI, relative to the AC, will experience increased self-compassion, growth mindset and positive affect, as well as reduced stress and psychopathology. (A2) Evaluate whether the SCI group shows greater increases in automaticity of self-compassion compared to the AC pre- to post-treatment. (A3) Assess whether greater pre- to post-treatment increases in automaticity of self-compassionate are associated with increased self-compassion, growth mindset, and positive affect, as well as reductions in stress and psychopathology.

The investigators hypothesize the following: (H1) SCI will promote greater increases in self-compassion, growth mindset, and positive affect, as well as greater reductions in stress and psychopathology from pre- to post-treatment, relative to AC. (H2) The SCI group will show greater increases in the automaticity of self-compassion than AC from pre- to post-treatment. (H3) Greater increases in the automaticity of self-compassion from pre- to post-treatment will be predicted by greater increases in self-compassion, growth mindset, and positive affect, as well as greater decreases in psychopathology and stress, from pre- to post treatment. To further understand the results obtained, the investigators will evaluate participants' frequency, adherence, and impressions of using the intervention.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
135
Inclusion Criteria
  • 18 years of age or older.
  • English language proficiency.
  • Able and willing to give informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Does not have email address or access to email.
  • Not able/willing to participate in and/or complete the pre-treatment assessments

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Finger-Tapping Active Control (AC)Finger-Tapping Active ControlThe active control will receive the same procedures as described above, except for receiving a different video containing different instructions describing a finger-tapping exercise. The videos will be virtually identical in length, quality, instructor/their outfit, and lighting.
Self-Compassion Intervention (SCI)Single Session Intervention Leveraging an Ultra-Brief Self-Compassion ExerciseFirst, participants will be taught to implement a 20-second self-compassion induction via video recording. Second, participants will be taught to choose a cue that will precede their daily use of the self-compassion induction. Participants will document the cue they chose, and will be emailed a record of their selected cue, along with the recording and transcript of the self-compassion induction that they can refer back to for reference. Third, participants will be asked to use the self-compassion induction as much as they can and at least once during their daily routine following exposure to their chosen cue.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)Change from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

10 items with a 6 point response scale. Positive affect sub-scale only.

Scoring:

Positive Affect Score: Sum score of 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, and 19. Scores range from 10 - 50. Higher scores = higher levels of positive affect.

Negative Affect Score: Sum score of 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18, and 20. Scores range from 10 - 50. Lower scores = lower levels of negative affect.

DSM-5 Cross-Cutting Measure (DSM-XC)Change from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

22 items (suicidality item Q11 removed). 5-point scale (0=none or not at all; 1=slight or rare, less than a day or two; 2=mild or several days; 3=moderate or more than half the days; and 4=severe or nearly every day).

Kind of Person' Implicit Theory Scale (KOPITS)Change from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

8 items. 6-point response scale (1 = strongly agree; 6 = strongly disagree) Higher scores indicate a more growth mindset. Lower scores indicate a more fixed mindset.

Score is sum of all items, with Q3, Q5, Q7, and Q8 reverse-scored. The formula for reverse-scoring an item is: ((Number of scale points) + 1) - (Respondent's answer)

Self-Report Behavioral Automaticity Index for Self-CompassionChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

20 items. 1-9 scale.

Sussex-Oxford Compassion for the Self Scale (SOCS-S)Change from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

Sum of 20-item, 5-point response scale. Scores can range from 20 to 100 (Higher score means higher compassion for self).

Sub-scale items included.

10-item Perceived-Stress Scale (PSS-10)Change from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

10 items, 5 point response scale (from 0 = Never to 4 = Very Often)

Scoring: Reverse score (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1 \& 4 = 0) items 4, 5, 7, \& 8 and then summing across all scale items.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Self-Report Behavioral Automaticity Index for ExerciseChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

4 items. 1-9 scale.

State Self-Compassion Scale Long Form (SSCS-L)Change from pre-induction to post-induction at baseline and at post-treatment (week 4). Change in pre to post-induction changes in state self-compassion from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

9 items. 1-5 scale. Scores range from 9-45. Mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness sub-scales only.

Real Self Overlap ScaleChange from baseline to post-treatment (week 4)

1 item. 1-8 scale.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of California at Berkeley

🇺🇸

Berkeley, California, United States

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