The Effect and Mechanism of Self-compassion on Reducing Materialism

The Effect and Mechanism of Self-compassion on Reducing Materialism: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Self-Compassion Intervention

The current study provided an initial investigation of the effect of self-compassion on reducing materialism and explored the basic psychological needs and self-esteem as potential mechanisms. Two studies would be conducted. Study 1 explored the relationships among variables with cross-sectional data, to explore the relationship between self-compassion and materialism, and test the mediating role of basic psychological needs and self-esteem. Study 2 developed a new online self-help self-compassion intervention and conducted a randomized control trial (i.e., intervention group and waitlist group) to further explore the casual effect of self-compassion on materialism, with the mediating effect of basic psychological needs and self-esteem.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Self-Compassion; Group B
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Self-compassion intervention group

Detailed Description

The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) consented to accept randomization, finish the intervention and fill out questionnaires and (2) had no current or previous mental disorder diagnosis.

The Chinese Version of Self-compassion Scale (SCS-C; Chen et al., 2011) was used to measure the self-compassion level of participants. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965) was used to measure self-esteem using 10 items. The Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs Scale (BMPN; Sheldon & Hilpert, 2012) was used to measure basic psychological needs. The Material Tendencies Scale (MTS; Zhang & Xiao, 2019) was used to measure materialism.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 309
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing
    • Beijing, Beijing, China, 100875
      • Xianglong Zeng

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. consented to accept randomization, finish the intervention and fill out questionnaires and
2. had no current or previous mental disorder diagnosis.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. did not accept randomization, can not finish the intervention and fill out questionnaires
2. had current or previous mental disorder diagnosis.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Self-compassion intervention group; The intervention group was granted access to a 14-day course focused on the theme of self-compassion. Participants within this group were encouraged to engage with one module per day, and completion of the entire course within a 21 days.	Other: Self-compassion intervention group; Participants would be provided a 14-days online course, and they need to finish the courses within 21 days.
No Intervention: waitlist group; The waitlist group received no course.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Self-compassion	The Chinese Version of Self-compassion Scale (SCS-C; Chen et al., 2011) was used to measure the self-compassion level of participants. The scale rated from 1 (does not describe me at all) to 5 (describes me very well), and higher scores mean a higher level of compassion.	12 weeks
Self-Esteem	The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965) was used to measure self-esteem using 10 items. The scale rated from 1 (does not describe me at all) to 5 (describes me very well), and higher score indicated a higher level of self-esteem.	12 weeks
Basic Psychological Needs	The Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs Scale (BMPN; Sheldon & Hilpert, 2012) was used to measure basic psychological needs. The scale rated from 1 (does not describe me at all) to 7 (describes me very well), and higher score indicated a higher level of basic psychological needs.	12 weeks
Materialism	The Material Tendencies Scale (MTS; Zhang & Xiao, 2019) was used to measure materialism. The scale rated from 1 (does not describe me at all) to 5 (describes me very well), and higher scores indicated a higher level of materialism.	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Beijing Normal University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 14, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 3, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): March 15, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 16, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 18, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 20, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 20, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 18, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: self-esteem; self-compassion; loving-kindness meditation; materialism; basic psychological needs; self-help intervention
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202206260077

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No