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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06507826

Self-Compassionate Writing for Caregivers of Older Adults

The goal of this study was to test an online writing intervention to encourage a self-compassionate mindset in family caregivers of older adults. The main aims were to answer the questions:

* Writing with self-compassion would increase self-compassion. * Writing with self-compassion would improve mood. Researchers compared self-compassion components (self-kindness, which involves a gentle and non-judgemental approach to oneself at times of difficulty; common humanity, which includes recognising one's difficulties as part of a shared human experience; mindfulness, which includes noticing difficult feelings without becoming overwhelmed by them) to see which combinations achieved the best outcomes.

Participants wrote with different combinations of self-compassion components together, such as mindfulness and common humanity or mindfulness and self-kindness. Participants also wrote with self-kindness, common humanity, or mindfulness separately.

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Key information

Conditions

Self-Compassion Control

Age range

18 year–100 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Reading

Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AL, United Kingdom

About this study

After being informed and consenting to participate in the study, participants were allocated to a self-compassion or control condition. The study was designed to target state self-compassion and mood. The research was carried out over three studies, with refinements being made each time based on previous outcomes. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were tested for self-compassion and mood (guilt, sadness, and serenity). after the writing tasks. In Study 3, participants were asked to complete measures for these both before and after the writing tasks. The experiments were carried out online for all three studies.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Family carer.
  • Caring for a person over 65 years of age.
  • Participants over 18 years of age.

Exclusion criteria

  • Professional carers.
  • Caring person under 65 years of age.
  • Participants under 18 years of age.

Treatment and study plan

Self-Compassionate Writing for Caregivers of Older Adults

Behavioral

Self-compassionate writing focusing on one or more self-compassion components (mindfulness, self-kindness, common humanity).

Primary outcomes

  1. Self-kindness measured with the State Self-Compassion Scale (Neff et al., 2021)

    Time frame: State measured immediately after intervention

    Scores closer to 5 expected on a scale of 1 to 5

  2. Common humanity measured with the State Self-Compassion Scale (Neff et al., 2021)

    Time frame: State measured immediately after intervention

    Scores closer to 5 expected on a scale of 1 to 5

  3. Mindfulness measured with the State Self-Compassion Scale (Neff et al., 2021)

    Time frame: State measured immediately after intervention

    Scores closer to 5 expected on a scale of 1 to 5

Secondary outcomes

  1. Guilt measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson and Clark, 1999)

    Time frame: State measured immediately after intervention

    Scores closer to 1 expected on a scale of 1 to 5

  2. Sadness measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson and Clark, 1999)

    Time frame: State measured immediately after intervention

    Scores closer to 1 expected on a scale of 1 to 5

  3. Serenity measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson and Clark, 1999)

    Time frame: State measured immediately after intervention

    Scores closer to 5 expected on a scale of 1 to 5

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Farah Wiita

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Online Intervention Using Self-Compassionate Writing to Induce Positive Mood in Family Caregivers of Older Adults

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Jul 18, 2024
Registry last updated
Jul 18, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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