Welbevinden vergroten door zelfcompassie : Onderzoek naar de effecten en specifieke groepskenmerken van een zelfcompassietraining als begeleide zelfhulp

Self-compassion is related to higher levels of well-being and lower levels of psychopathology. This study investigates the effects of the self-compassiontraining ‘Compassion as a key to happiness, passing stress and self-criticism’. Furthermore, the aim of the study is to examine whether the demographic variables gender and age, and the level of well-being of participants influence the level of self-compassion. In a randomized controlled trial the experimental group (N=117) participated in the self-compassiontraining, which uses a self-help book and e-mail support. For the control group (N=117) a waiting list was used. For the statistical analysis, levels of well-being and self-compassion were examined before and after the study. Results show that the self-compassion-training led to higher levels of well-being. An increase in self-compassion to some extent explain an increase in well-being. Furthermore, the demographic variables gender and age and the level of well-being have no influence on the level of self-compassion of participants. In sum, the findings emphasize the importance of self-compassion in promoting mental health. Such a self-compassiontraining may be effective and suitable for a large target group.