SynthesisPsychological medicine2015
Psychotherapeutic benefits of compassion-focused therapy: an early systematic review.
Synthesis in Psychological medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04764708 (Compassion and Metacognition Based Therapy for Schizotypal Personality Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 93 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Compassion and Metacognition Based Therapy for Schizotypal Personality Disorder: A Pilot Non-inferiority Randomized Controlled Trial on Repeated Measures.
Who cites it
93 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effectiveness of second-generation mindfulness interventions on anxiety and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical psychology review · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of compassion-focused therapy on self-criticism and self-soothing: A meta-analysis.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2023Pooled it
- An examination of the relationship between shame, guilt and self-harm: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical psychology review · 2019Pooled it
- Acceptance and Compassion-Based Therapy Targeting Shame in Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Multiple Baseline Study.Behavior modification · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Exploring compassionate attributes and skills among individuals participating in compassion-focused therapy for enhancing well-being.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2020Trial
- Undoing Self-Contempt in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Controlled Test of Change in Emotion Processing in Psychotherapy.Clinical psychology & psychotherapyTrial
- Guilt Proneness and Shame Proneness Differentially Relate to Sex Disparity in Depression Among Adolescents in China: A Longitudinal Serial Mediation Analysis.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2026Article
- Adapting compassionate mind training into guided self-help for parents of autistic children.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2026Article
- From Aversive, Toward Appetitive: A Behavioral Conceptual Analysis of Compassion.Behavior analysis in practice · 2026Article
- Eating disorder symptoms and corresponding evidence-based treatments: a narrative review.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Review
- Effectiveness and mechanisms of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression: a reanalysis of a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Exploring the role of shame and self-compassion on the link between fibromyalgia symptoms and depression: Insights from mediation and moderation analyses.Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Empathy, psychopathology and suicidal behavior: a case-control study.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- The Effectiveness of Compassion Focused Therapy for the Three Flows of Compassion, Self-Criticism, and Shame in Clinical Populations: A Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Validity of the Chinese Mandarin version of the compassionate engagement and action scales for self and others for nursing students.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Within-Person Relationships Among Self-Compassion, Emotion Regulation Difficulties, and Anxiety Symptoms: Testing an Emotion Regulation Model of Self-Compassion.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2025Article
- Exploring the implementation of a novel, transdiagnostic, hybrid ecological momentary intervention for improving resilience in youth (EMIcompass): A process evaluation in the realist framework.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Article
- Article
- Perinatal compassion focused therapy for mothers with mental health difficulties: a study protocol for a multisite and mixed methods feasibility and acceptability study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
33 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCompassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a relatively novel form of psychotherapy that was developed for people who have mental health problems primarily linked to high shame and self-criticism. The aim of this early systematic review was to draw together the current research evidence of the effectiveness of CFT as a psychotherapeutic intervention, and to provide recommendations that may inform the development of further trials.
methodA comprehensive search of electronic databases was undertaken to systematically identify literature relating to the effectiveness of CFT as a psychotherapeutic intervention. Reference lists of key journals were hand searched and contact with experts in the field was made to identify unpublished data.
resultsFourteen studies were included in the review, including three randomized controlled studies. The findings from the included studies were, in the most part, favourable to CFT, and in particular seemed to be effective for people who were high in self-criticism.
conclusionsCFT shows promise as an intervention for mood disorders, particularly those high in self-criticism. However, more large-scale, high-quality trials are needed before it can be considered evidence-based practice. The review highlights issues from the current evidence that may be used to inform such trials.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.