The role of Self-compassion, Rumination and Mindfulness skills in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Pilot study with a heterogeneous outpatient population

Background: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an evidence-based intervention which is increasingly being applied across a range of psychiatric disorders. Mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of MBCT remain partly unclear. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of MBCT on psychological symptoms, whether changes in mindfulness, rumination, and self-compassion mediate improvements in psychological symptoms, and aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing MBCT in a heterogeneous outpatient population at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Methods: A within-subject pretest–posttest design was employed with fifteen adult participants with diverse psychiatric disorders, who completed self-report measures of psychological symptoms, mindfulness, self-compassion, and rumination before and after the eight-week MBCT program. Feasibility was assessed based on attendance and attrition rates. Data were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, correlations, and parallel...Show moreBackground: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an evidence-based intervention which is increasingly being applied across a range of psychiatric disorders. Mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of MBCT remain partly unclear. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of MBCT on psychological symptoms, whether changes in mindfulness, rumination, and self-compassion mediate improvements in psychological symptoms, and aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing MBCT in a heterogeneous outpatient population at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). Methods: A within-subject pretest–posttest design was employed with fifteen adult participants with diverse psychiatric disorders, who completed self-report measures of psychological symptoms, mindfulness, self-compassion, and rumination before and after the eight-week MBCT program. Feasibility was assessed based on attendance and attrition rates. Data were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, correlations, and parallel mediation analyses. Results: Feasibility of the current design was demonstrated. Treatment adherence among completers was satisfactory (mean attendance=81.5%), with an attrition rate of 25%. The results showed significant effect of MBCT on decreasing psychological symptoms, with increases in mindfulness and self-compassion and a significant decrease in rumination. Increases in mindfulness and self-compassion were significantly correlated with reductions in psychological symptoms, while the correlation between rumination and symptoms was non-significant. Mediation analyses showed that mindfulness, self-compassion, and rumination all significantly mediated symptom improvement. Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and effectiveness of MBCT in a heterogeneous outpatient population. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and rumination appear to play key mediating roles in MBCT’s therapeutic effects. Future research should replicate these findings in larger randomized controlled trials.Show less

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The role of Self-compassion, Rumination and Mindfulness skills in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: Pilot study with a heterogeneous outpatient population