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

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Coping

In brief

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 facts

Study ID: NCT07513220
Run by: Cambridge Health Alliance
People needed: 135
Starts: 2026-04-13
Expected to finish: 2027-04-30
Last updated by the study team: 2026-04-20

Who can join

Age: 14 and older, up to 19. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

Be 14-19 years of age for the duration of the study;
If 14-17 years of age: have a parent with sufficient literacy skills to understand the consent process and have the ability to provide written informed consent, and have sufficient English fluency and literacy skills themselves to understand the assent process, procedures, and questionnaires and have the ability to provide written assent;
If 18-19 years of age: have sufficient English fluency and literacy skills themselves to understand the consent process, procedures, and questionnaires and have the ability to provide written informed consent;
Have access to the internet and an electronic device with adequate data capacity to complete questionnaires online and attend online videoconference groups;
Be available and willing to attend the scheduled online videoconference groups for 4 weeks and complete the online assessments.

You may not qualify if…

Current or past-year treatment with mindfulness-based psychotherapy (e.g., MBCT, DBT, or ACT);
Current or past-year participation in a mindfulness- or compassion-based program;
A routine of, on average, 10 minutes of mindfulness practice per day over the past 30 days (greater than or equal to 300 minutes);
Simultaneous participation in another experimental research study;
Current or past-year diagnosis of: schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorder, bipolar 1 disorder, or severe substance/alcohol use disorder;
Current or past-month suicidal ideation;
Hospitalization for reasons related to mental health within the past 6 months;
Recent modifications to psychiatric medication(s) (within the last 30 days or within the last 90 days for antidepressants (e.g., SSRI, SNRI, etc.);
Inability to complete consent/assent process or baseline assessment.

Where it is running

Center for Mindfulness and Compassion — Malden, Massachusetts, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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