Testing a Low-Intensity Single-Session Self-Compassion Intervention for State Body Shame in Adult Women: A Dismantling Randomized Controlled Trial.
Open accessAbstract
State body shame is a risk factor for eating disorders, and self-compassion is emerging as a potentially effective treatment option in such cases. This study tested the efficacy of a brief (15-minute) self-compassion intervention in reducing state body shame. Using dismantling trial methodology, participants were randomly allocated to an active compassion condition (n = 23), an inactive control compassion condition (n = 23), or an educational control condition (n = 23). Measures of state body image and state shame were collected pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention, and a day after the intervention. Subjective units of state body shame (SUBS) were intensively measured during each invention. Self-compassion interventions were equally efficacious at protecting against deterioration of state body shame and were effective at reducing state shame compared to the educational control condition, with medium effect sizes (respectively – np2 = .07 and np2 = .08). Reductions in state shame were retained at follow-up. None of the interventions had an effect on body image (np2 = .04). Findings demonstrate the clinical promise of brief self-compassion interventions, particularly as evidenced-based “homework” exercises.
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Practices of mindfulness and self-compassion may protect against internalized stigma and body shame.
“Mindfulness and self-compassion practices can additionally buffer various forms of internalized stigma (e.g., Braun et al., 2021; Yang & Mak, 2017) and body shame (Turk et al., 2023).”
From A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Informed Diabetes Prevention Program Reduces Body Shame and Distress. (2025) · cites this paper as Turk et al., 2023
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BackgroundResultA Meta‐Analysis and Systematic Review of Single‐Session Interventions for Eating Disorders
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- Authors
- Turk, F., Kellett, S., & Waller, G.
- Affiliations
- Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- University of Sheffield (GB)
- Venue
- Behavior Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2023-09
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 916-928
- ISSN
- 0005-7894 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4375859241
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 3.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Behavior Therapy (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
- Keywords
- self-compassion, body image, eating disorders, brief intervention, single-session intervention, adult women, homework exercises
- MeSH terms
- Self-Compassion, Adult, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Body Image, Female, Humans, Shame, Exercise
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