Publication Date
Fall 2024
Abstract
Self-compassion interventions show promise in reducing stress and enhancing self-compassion among college students, a population uniquely vulnerable to high stress. Two studies were conducted to explore the impact of self-compassion practices (i.e., expressive writing and meditations). Using a within group study design, Study 1 investigated whether a prewriting task designed to induce a self-compassionate mindset could enhance the effects of a self-compassion meditation. Results showed that when participants (n = 35) completed the prewriting task before the meditation, they reported significantly higher levels of state self-compassion compared to when they were in the meditation-only group, as predicted (p = .03, d = .34), which indicates a small to medium effect size. Based on these results, Study 2 utilized prewriting for meditation and expressive writing conditions and compared these with a control group to measure differences in state self-compassion and perceived stress. Participants were randomly assigned to one condition and attended three sessions. Findings revealed that while participants’ (n = 45) state self-compassion levels significantly increased across time points (p < .001, η2p = .17), with a large effect size, there were no significant effects of condition on either state self-compassion or perceived stress levels. Lastly, perceived stress did not change across time points. These results suggest that an intentional prewriting exercise may amplify the effectiveness of self-compassion meditation practices, and that self-compassion can increase over time, but this may not be due to self-compassion specific interventions.
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
de Souza, Samantha, "Enhancing Self-Compassion: An Empirical Comparison of Expressive Writing and Meditation" (2024). Research Honors. 9.
https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/all_honors/9