The Effectiveness and Acceptability of Formal Versus Informal Mindful Self-Compassion for Adolescents

Conditions

• Coping

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

14 Years - 19 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Formal Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC-F) — BEHAVIORAL
  The MSC-F and MSC-I programs will be adaptations of the Mindful Self-Compassion - Teen (MSC-T) program (formerly Making Friends With Yourself; Bluth et al., 2016). MSC-T includes the instruction of both formal and informal practices; the adapted programs will thus disentangle the two approaches to allow for their direct comparison. The adapted MSC-F and MSC-I programs will comprise weekly hour-long virtual group sessions held over four weeks and led in real time by IRB-approved CHA researchers and clinicians. Each session will include (i) psychoeducation related to stress, mindfulness, self-compassion, and healthy/unhealthy coping, (ii) in-session mindfulness practice, and (iii) group discussion. Content will be identical across the MSC-F and MSC-I programs aside from the specific practices taught (i.e., whether exclusively formal or informal). Weekly home practice will be assigned and supporting handouts and audio files (where applicable) will be shared following each session.
• Informal Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC-I) — BEHAVIORAL
  The MSC-F and MSC-I programs will be adaptations of the Mindful Self-Compassion - Teen (MSC-T) program (formerly Making Friends With Yourself; Bluth et al., 2016). MSC-T includes the instruction of both formal and informal practices; the adapted programs will thus disentangle the two approaches to allow for their direct comparison. The adapted MSC-F and MSC-I programs will comprise weekly hour-long virtual group sessions held over four weeks and led in real time by IRB-approved CHA researchers and clinicians. Each session will include (i) psychoeducation related to stress, mindfulness, self-compassion, and healthy/unhealthy coping, (ii) in-session mindfulness practice, and (iii) group discussion. Content will be identical across the MSC-F and MSC-I programs aside from the specific practices taught (i.e., whether exclusively formal or informal). Weekly home practice will be assigned and supporting handouts and audio files (where applicable) will be shared following each session.

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if two types of mindful self-compassion programs work to improve coping in adolescents. The investigators will also learn about adolescents' liking of, and the other potential mental health and academic benefits of, these programs. The main questions this clinical trial aims to answer are: * Do two types of mindful self-compassion programs improve coping in adolescents? * Do two types of mindful self-compassion programs improve mental health (e.g., stress, anxiety, depression) and academic outcomes (e.g., academic engagement) in adolescents? * How satisfactory are two types of mindful self-compassion programs for adolescents? To do this, the investigators will compare adolescents who complete two types of mindful self-compassion programs to adolescents in a "waitlist control" condition (who complete no study tasks during the program period, but will have the opportunity to complete the program at the end of the study). Participants will: * Complete a brief phone interview to confirm their eligibility (15 min) * Complete an online survey including questions about coping, mental health, and academic engagement (30 min) * Complete a live, online, four-week-long mindful self-compassion program OR no study tasks during this four-week period (if randomly assigned to a waitlist condition) * Complete an online survey 1 week after the 4-week period, including questions about coping, mental health, and academic engagement, as well as their liking of the program they completed (if applicable) * Complete an online survey 1 month after the 4-week period, including questions about coping, mental health, and academic engagement * (Waitlist condition only) Have the opportunity to complete one of the two mindful self-compassion programs after the study had ended

Key Dates

Start date

Apr 13, 2026

Status verified

Jan 2026

Primary completion

Apr 30, 2027

Completion

Apr 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

135 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

OTHER

Arms

• Experimental: Formal Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC-F)
  Participants assigned to the MSC-F condition (n=45) will complete a four-week-long live online mindful self-compassion program, which will include the instruction of formal practices (e.g., guided meditations).
• Experimental: Informal Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC-I)
  Participants assigned to the MSC-I condition (n=45) will complete a four-week-long live online mindful self-compassion program, which will include the instruction of informal practices (e.g., noticing day-to-day sensory experiences with mindful self-compassion).
• No Intervention: Waitlist Control
  Participants assigned to the waitlist control condition (n=45) will complete no study tasks during the 4-week intervention period, during which participants assigned to the MSC-F and MSC-I conditions complete their assigned programs. These waitlist control participants will be invited to complete one of the two programs at the end of the 9-week study period.

Primary Outcome Measure

Coping Index (CI) [ Time Frame: 5 weeks (From baseline to 1 week post-intervention) ]

Central Contacts

• Julia Petrovic, PhD
  781-605-4429
  [email protected]
• Frannie Marin, BS
  617-643-8770
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

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