Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31119822›Full record

Trial reportPsychology and psychotherapy2020

Exploring compassionate attributes and skills among individuals participating in compassion-focused therapy for enhancing well-being.

Marion Sommers-Spijkerman, Teuntje R Elfrink, Constance H C Drossaert, Karlein M G Schreurs, Ernst T Bohlmeijer

Open access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychology and psychotherapy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Improvements in Compassion and Fears of Compassion throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multinational Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Marion Sommers-SpijkermanCentre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0648-8708
Teuntje R ElfrinkCentre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
Constance H C DrossaertCentre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
Karlein M G SchreursCentre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
Ernst T BohlmeijerCentre for eHealth and Well-being Research, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
University of Twente · NLNorth-West University · ZARoessingh Research and Development · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe conceptual approach of compassion underlying compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is based on theoretical rather than empirical grounds. The aim of the present study was to seek empirical support for components of compassion as outlined in the theoretical model underpinning CFT, and to explore which components, if any, matter most for improving well-being.

designA sequential exploratory mixed methods design was employed.

methodsAlongside a randomized controlled trial (RCT), we systematically examined 625 emails sent by 87 RCT participants to five counsellors during the course of a well-being enhancing CFT self-help intervention, to identify theoretically based compassionate attributes and skills. Next, in a quantitative analysis, we compared participants who did and did not show clinically relevant improvement on well-being with regard to the occurrence of compassionate attributes and skills.

resultsAlthough the theoretical model of compassion integral to CFT was largely supported by the emails, it was slightly simplified so as to better fit the data. The adjusted model comprises five compassionate attributes (i.e., care for well-being, sensitivity, empathy, distress tolerance, and common humanity) and four compassionate skills (i.e., compassionate attention, reasoning, behaviour, and feeling/sensation). Three illustrative cases are presented to contribute to a better understanding of fundamental components of compassion. Quantitative analyses indicate that participants showing clinically relevant improvement on well-being expressed significantly more compassionate feeling/sensation compared to those who did not.

conclusionsWe found preliminary evidence for the conceptualization of compassion underlying CFT. Compassionate feeling/sensation bears particular interest when well-being is the intended outcome of CFT. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Individuals participating in compassion-focused therapy for enhancing well-being experience a wide range of compassionate attributes and skills. Compassion-focused therapy may instigate well-being if a client is able to experience compassionate feeling/sensation.

Indexed as

Personal SatisfactionAdultEmpathyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPsychotherapy, GroupQualitative Researchcompassioncompassion-focused therapymixed methodswell-being

Identifiers

PMID31119822
PMCPMC7496193
OpenAlexW2946429032

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.