Fostering Connection and Shame Resilience Through Self-Compassion: An Innovative Elective for Health Professions...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Professional Development

Background:

• Shame is a significant emotional burden in health professions education, contributing to burnout and impacting professional identity.
• Self-compassion is recognized as a key factor in mitigating the negative effects of shame.
• This study addresses the need for interventions to enhance emotional resilience among health professions students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an elective course aimed at fostering shame resilience and self-compassion in health professions students.
• To assess the impact of the elective on participants' self-compassion levels and their experiences with shame.
• To explore the potential of brief, integrated learning experiences in enhancing emotional well-being in medical learners.

Main Methods:

• A 6-hour elective,
• Fostering Connection and Shame Resilience Through Self-Compassion
• , was delivered over three 2-hour monthly sessions.
• The curriculum incorporated shared meals, conceptual learning, reflective writing, guided self-compassion practices, and small-group discussions.
• Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF) and Shame Frequency Questionnaire in Medical Students (SFQ-MS); a control group was used for SFQ-MS comparison.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were noted in self-compassion scores, particularly in Self-Kindness, Self-Judgment, Common Humanity, and Mindfulness subscales.
• The elective group demonstrated significant differences in shame frequency compared to the control group.
• Program evaluation revealed that a majority of participants reported increased awareness of shame and greater openness to practicing self-compassion.

Conclusions:

• The elective course proved to be an innovative approach to enhancing emotional resilience in health professions learners.
• Findings indicate that even short interventions can positively influence self-compassion and shame resilience.
• Integrating affective domain curricula is crucial for supporting learner well-being and professional identity formation.