The prospective effects of self-compassion on depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress: A study in inflammatory bowel disease

Randomized controlled trial of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and compassion-based group intervention for persons with inflammatory bowel disease: the LIFEwithIBD intervention

Objectives

This study tested the acceptability and efficacy of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and compassion-based intervention (LIFEwithIBD) in people with IBD through a two-arm RCT.

Methods

Participants were recruited at the Gastroenterology Department of the Coimbra University Hospital between June and September 2019. Of the 355 patients screened, those who accepted to participate were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: experimental group (LIFEwithIBD; n = 25) or control group (waitlist; n = 29). Participants completed self-report measures at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and 3-month (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups. Intervention acceptability was assessed. Efficacy was examined using intent-to-treat ANCOVA at post-intervention after adjusting for baseline values of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms (primary outcomes). Linear mixed models for all longitudinal outcomes were also analysed. Inflammatory and disease biomarkers were determined at T0 and T3.

Results

Acceptability results revealed a high level of satisfaction and perceived usefulness regarding the intervention. Both groups experienced a significant decrease in stress symptoms and IBD symptom perception at T1. No significant differences were observed at follow-up for the primary outcomes. The experimental group reported significantly lower Crohn's disease Symptom severity at T2 than the control group. Post-hoc analyses designed to mitigate floor effects revealed substantial treatment effects for the experimental group regarding anxiety symptoms. No significant differences were observed in clinical biomarkers from T0 to T3.

Conclusion

The LIFEwithIBD intervention shows promising, although preliminary, benefits for managing disease activity and reducing anxiety symptoms in IBD patients with high severity of psychological distress.Clinical trial registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03840707, identifier NCT03840707.

A Self-Reported Study on Explanatory Variables of Stress in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Exploring the Effect of Physical Conditions and Emotion Regulation Processes

BACKGROUND

Multiple sclerosis (MS)-linked stress is frequent, multidetermined and facilitates the onset/exacerbation of MS. However, few explanatory models of stress analysed the joint explanatory effect of emotion regulation and clinical outcomes of MS in those patients.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored whether self-reported MS-related conditions (number of relapses, fatigue and global disability) and specific emotion regulation processes (experiential avoidance and self-compassion) explain stress symptoms in MS patients.

METHODS

The MS sample comprised 101 patients with MS diagnosis receiving treatment in hospitals and recruited through the Portuguese MS Society. The no-MS sample included 134 age-, sex- and years of education-matched adults without MS recruited from the general Portuguese population. Both samples did not report other neurological disorders. Data were collected using self-response measures.

RESULTS

All potential explanatory variables differed significantly between samples, with higher scores found in MS patients. In MS clinical sample, those variables and years of education correlated with stress symptoms and predicted stress symptoms in simple linear regression models. These results allowed their selection as covariates in a multiple linear regression model. Years of education, the number of relapses, fatigue and experiential avoidance significantly predicted 51% of stress symptoms' total variance.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence on the importance of clinicians and researchers considering the simultaneous contribution of years of education, the number of perceived relapses, fatigue and experiential avoidance as factors that can increase vulnerability to stress in MS patients. Psychological intervention programmes that tackle these factors and associated stress symptomatology should be implemented.

Web-Based Self-Compassion Training to Improve the Well-Being of Youth With Chronic Medical Conditions: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Up to one-third of young people live with chronic physical conditions (eg, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease) that frequently involve recurrent pain, fatigue, activity limitations, stigma, and isolation. These issues may be exacerbated as young people transition through adolescence. Accordingly, young people with chronic illness are at a high risk of psychological distress. Accessible, evidence-based interventions for young people with chronic illnesses are urgently needed to improve well-being, support adaptation, and enhance daily functioning. Self-compassion, which is an adaptive means of relating to oneself during times of difficulty, is a promising intervention target for this population.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to test the efficacy of a 4-week, self-guided, web-based self-compassion training program for improving well-being among young Australians (aged 16-25 years) living with a chronic medical condition. The primary outcomes were self-compassion, emotion regulation difficulties, and coping; the secondary outcomes were well-being, distress, and quality of life. We also sought to test whether changes in primary outcomes mediated changes in secondary outcomes and gather feedback about the strengths and limitations of the program.

METHODS

We conducted a single-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial comparing a 4-week, fully automated, web-based self-compassion training program with a waitlist control. Participants were recruited via the internet, and outcomes were self-assessed at 4 (T1) and 12 weeks (T2) after the baseline time point via a web-based survey. A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate the program feedback.

RESULTS

Overall, 151 patients (age: mean 21.15, SD 2.77 years; female patients: n=132, 87.4%) were randomized to the intervention (n=76, 50.3%) and control (n=75, 49.7%) groups. The loss-to-follow-up rate was 47.4%, and program use statistics indicated that only 29% (22/76) of young people in the experimental group completed 100% of the program. The main reported barrier to completion was a lack of time. As anticipated, treatment effects were observed for self-compassion (P=.01; partial η2=0.05; small effect); well-being (P≤.001; partial η2=0.07; medium effect); and distress (P=.003; partial η2=0.054; small-medium effect) at the posttest time point and maintained at follow-up. Contrary to our hypotheses, no intervention effects were observed for emotion regulation difficulties or maladaptive coping strategies. Improvements in adaptive coping were observed at the posttest time point but were not maintained at follow-up. Self-compassion, but not emotion regulation difficulties or coping, mediated the improvements in well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

Minimal-contact, web-based self-compassion training can confer mental health benefits on young people with chronic conditions. This group experiences substantial challenges to participation in mental health supports, and program engagement and retention in this trial were suboptimal. Future work should focus on refining the program content, engagement, and delivery to optimize engagement and treatment outcomes for the target group.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry 12619000572167; https://tinyurl.com/5n6hevt.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.1186/s12889-020-8226-7.

Psychiatric Diagnoses, Medication, and Service Use Among Patients Who Receive Emergency Care for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

This study examined relative psychiatric burden among patients who presented to the emergency department once or more than once for inflammatory bowel disease visits. Results highlight the need for integration of psychiatric and gastrointestinal care among high-risk inflammatory bowel disease patients.

The contribution of the components of self-compassion and self-judgment in depressive symptomatology and psychological health in patients with chronic physical disease

The current study aimed at examining the potential role of self-compassion and self-judgment components on depressive symptomatology and psychological health in people with a diagnosis of chronic physical disease. The sample included 223 participants with a diagnosis of chronic physical disease, aged between 18 and 45 years, who completed an online survey. The tested model showed an excellent fit to the empirical data and path analysis results indicated that mindfulness, self-judgment, and isolation have a significant impact on depressive symptomatology (explaining 40% of its variance) and also on psychological health (explaining 45% of its variance). This study shed some light on the role of both self-compassion and self-judgment components, suggesting the importance of the promotion of mindfulness skills and the reduction of self-judgment and feelings of isolation in people with chronic physical disease. These findings seem to support the development of more effective interventions for the promotion of psychological health and reduction of depressive symptoms in people diagnosed with a chronic physical disease.

A pilot randomized controlled trial of online acceptance and commitment therapy versus compassion-focused therapy for chronic illness

Literature suggests that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is effective in improving well-being and in reducing psychopathological symptoms commonly experienced by people with chronic illness (CI). Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) reduces psychological distress, especially in individuals with high levels of shame and self-criticism, but few studies have explored CFT in CI. Additionally, studies almost exclusively compared ACT and CFT with inactive controls (wait-list; treatment as usual). Also, there is an interest in developing cost-effective mental health solutions, such as low-intensity online psychological interventions. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to assess the acceptability and compare the efficacy of four-session online ACT (n = 25) and CFT (n = 24) interventions in a sample of people with CI. Results showed both interventions were acceptable, with attrition rates at post-intervention comparable to those found in similar studies (around 50%). Intention-to-treat analyses showed that participants presented significantly less illness-related shame, less uncompassionate self-responding and more valued living after the intervention, although no difference was found between conditions. Results were sustained at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Results did not find statistical differences between conditions through reliable change index (RCI). Correlation between demographics and RCI showed that, at post-intervention, younger participants presented more behavioural awareness, men presented more valued action, and participants with CI for shorter periods presented less uncompassionate self-responding and less anxiety. Results suggest that low-intensity (four sessions) online ACT and CFT are cost-effective approaches to promote mental health of individuals with CI. Results and limitations are thoroughly discussed.

The LIFEwithIBD Intervention: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Face-to-Face Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion-Based Intervention Tailored to People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background: There is ample evidence of the high mental health burden caused by Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Several constructs such as experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, shame, and self-criticism have recently emerged as potential intervention targets to improve mental health in IBD. Psychotherapeutic models such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and compassion-based interventions are known to target these constructs. In this protocol, we aim to describe a two-arm Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) testing the efficacy of an ACT and compassion-focused intervention named Living with Intention, Fullness, and Engagement with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (LIFEwithIBD) intervention + Treatment As Usual (TAU) vs. TAU in improving psychological distress, quality of life, work and social functioning, IBD symptom perception, illness-related shame, psychological flexibility, self-compassion, disease activity, inflammation biomarkers, and gut microbiota diversity. Methods: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT03840707, date assigned 13/02/2019). The LIFEwithIBD intervention is an adaptation to the IBD population of the Mind programme for people with cancer, an acceptance, mindfulness, and compassion-based intervention designed to be delivered in a group format. The LIFEwithIBD intervention's structure and topics are presented in this protocol. Participants were recruited at the Gastroenterology Service of the Coimbra University Hospital between June and September 2019. Of the 355 patients screened, 61 participants were selected, randomly assigned to one of two conditions [experimental group (LIFEwithIBD + TAU) or control group (TAU)] and completed the baseline assessment. Outcome measurement took place at baseline, post-intervention, 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Discussion: Results from this RCT will support future studies testing the LIFEwithIBD intervention or other acceptance and/or compassion-based interventions for IBD.