Developing Self-Compassion in Healthcare Professionals Utilising a Brief Online Intervention: A Randomised Waitlist...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Health

Background:

• High stress levels are prevalent among healthcare professionals.
• Self-compassion is recognized for its potential to support individual health and wellbeing at work.
• The need for effective interventions to mitigate workplace stress in healthcare is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, brief, online, self-guided intervention.
• To assess the intervention's impact on the health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals.
• To determine if the intervention improves self-compassion and reduces stress and burnout.

Main Methods:

• A parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted with healthcare professionals.
• Participants were assigned to either an intervention group (n=110) or a waitlist control group (n=80).
• Online questionnaires measured self-compassion, mental wellbeing, stress, and burnout at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed significant increases in self-compassion and mental wellbeing.
• Significant reductions in perceived stress and personal/work burnout were observed in the intervention group.
• Statistical analysis revealed significant group effects and time × group interactions for all primary outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The brief online intervention demonstrates effectiveness in enhancing self-compassion and mental health.
• The intervention successfully reduced stress and burnout symptoms among healthcare professionals.
• This affordable and scalable intervention shows promise for supporting healthcare staff in challenging environments.