Maner Safir, Morris Paul Graham, Flewitt Bethany Iona
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, School of Health in Science, University of Edinburgh Old Medical School, Edinburgh, UK.
Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Clin Psychol Psychother. 2023 Mar;30(2):250-269. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2801. Epub 2022 Dec 8.
Compassion-focused imagery (CFI) is a technique used to facilitate self-compassion by constructing and exploring imagery of a compassionate ideal. It is commonly used in Compassionate Mind Training, as part of a wider skills training intervention. This review aimed to explore the effectiveness of CFI on psychological outcomes when used as a brief standalone intervention across clinical and non-clinical adult populations. Population-specific effects were also explored.
Following an extensive literature search, 20 studies were identified for inclusion in the review. Quality and risk of bias assessment were completed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool. Where available, effect sizes were calculated for outcome measures of self-compassion, self-criticism and shame. Study findings were qualitatively synthesized.
Most of the studies reported improvements in psychological outcomes, such as improvements in self-compassion and positive affect, reduction in self-criticism, shame and paranoia. Across measures of self-compassion, self-criticism and shame, the effect sizes ranged between 0.02 and 1.1 and estimated treatment effects range between 0.09 and 1.39. Preliminary evidence is promising, with most studies reporting improvements in psychological outcomes; however, the evidence is limited by the methodological challenges and heterogeneity within the literature. Studies that implemented CFI in severe head injury samples reported limited improvements. Improvements in paranoia measures were more consistently reported in non-clinical samples, when compared to studies using clinical samples. High levels of self-criticism emerged as an important potential barrier in individuals' ability to engage with CFI tasks.
以同情为中心的意象法（CFI）是一种通过构建和探索富有同情心的理想意象来促进自我同情的技术。它常用于同情心智训练，是更广泛的技能训练干预的一部分。本综述旨在探讨CFI作为一种简短的独立干预措施，在临床和非临床成年人群中使用时对心理结果的有效性。还探讨了特定人群的影响。
在广泛的文献检索后，确定了20项研究纳入本综述。使用有效公共卫生实践项目（EPHPP）工具完成质量和偏倚风险评估。在可行的情况下，计算自我同情、自我批评和羞耻感等结果指标的效应量。对研究结果进行定性综合分析。
大多数研究报告了心理结果的改善，如自我同情和积极情绪的改善、自我批评、羞耻感和偏执狂的减少。在自我同情、自我批评和羞耻感的测量中，效应量在0.02至1.1之间，估计治疗效果在0.09至1.39之间。初步证据很有前景，大多数研究报告了心理结果的改善；然而，证据受到文献中方法学挑战和异质性的限制。在重度颅脑损伤样本中实施CFI的研究报告的改善有限。与使用临床样本的研究相比，非临床样本中更一致地报告了偏执狂测量的改善。高水平的自我批评成为个体参与CFI任务能力的一个重要潜在障碍。
