An exploration of group-based compassion-focused therapy for adolescents and their parents

Abstract

Background: The long-term negative consequences of mental health problems during adolescence highlight the need for effective treatments. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) aims to help individuals to enhance their ability to support and care for themselves and to alleviate shame and self-stigmatization. Objective: This non-randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of group-based CFT on perceived stress and the extent of self-compassion in a clinical sample of adolescents receiving psychiatric care for complex mental health difficulties and their parents. Method: The participants were 43 adolescents (ages 14-17; 83.7 % female) under treatment at a child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic in Sweden and their parents (n = 77; 61 % female). The adolescents volunteered for group-based CFT (n = 19); if they did not want to participate, they were asked to join the control group receiving treatment as usual (TAU, n = 24). The CFT parents were given the same treatment as their children in parallel parent groups. The participants completed questionnaires measuring self-compassion and perceived stress before and after treatment. Paired samples t-tests and independent samples t-tests assessed the within-group and between-group differences via change scores. Results: The fathers scored highest on self-compassion and had less perceived stress at both times than the adolescents or mothers. There were no significant differences between the CFT and TAU groups in self-compassion or perceived stress at either time, and the effect sizes were small (g ≤ 0.25). The TAU mother group was the only group with a significantly changed mean self-compassion score post-treatment. Conclusions: Some patients seem to benefit from group-based CFT in ways similar to the benefits of specialized therapeutic approaches. Further research into the utility of CFT for adolescents with MH problems and their parents, as well as the longterm clinical effects of CFT for this group is needed.

The feasibility and effectiveness of compassionate mind training as a test anxiety intervention for adolescents: A preliminary investigation

“…These results are in line with an emerging body of research relating to the benefits of CFT/CMT in supporting young people with mental health and well‐being difficulties (e.g. Bratt, Rusner, et al., 2020). Similarly, the findings support and build on other studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of CMT for reducing test anxiety (McEwan et al., 2018), lessening general anxiety (McEwan & Gilbert, 2016) and promoting self‐compassion in non‐clinical adult populations (Irons & Heriot‐Maitland, 2021; Maratos, Montague, et al., 2019).…”

“…Early evidence appears to suggest that this approach can also be effective in supporting young people with mental health and well‐being difficulties (e.g. Bratt et al., 2020). For example, CFT was found to reduce psychopathic traits and challenging behaviours among incarcerated youth (Ribeiro da Silva et al., 2019).…”

A Compassion-Focused Therapy group for young people who live in foster, adoptive or kinship care: Initial development, reflections, and ways forward

“…It also remains to be tested whether this approach can be applicable to care-experienced boys and in a non-UK context. Low recruitment of boys has also been shown in a recent application of group CFT in Sweden (Bratt, Rusner and Svensson, 2020), an issue that needs further unpacking.…”

Self‐compassion reduces parental burnout: Mediation roles of parental psychological control and support

“…In turn, the qualities listed above might assist them in avoiding parental burnout and protecting their mental health. In addition, previous studies have shown that participation in interventions designed with compassion‐focused therapy (Bratt et al, 2020), mindfulness‐based compassion therapy (Jefferson et al, 2020), mindfulness‐based stress reduction (Jefferson et al, 2020) helped increase parental self‐compassion. These results can be carefully referenced in the future by both researchers and practitioners to help parents develop and strengthen their self‐compassion.…”