Self-Compassion Against Burnout in Dentistry

Self-Compassion As a Well-Being Strategy Against Occupational Burnout in Dentistry: a Controlled Clinical Trial

Although studies have highlighted the relationship between stress-related psychopathological symptoms and changes in biochemical parameters, no study in dentistry has concurrently evaluated the association of stress and relaxation with biochemical markers and psychological parameters. Moreover, the impact of mindfulness-based self-compassion training programs on these variables has yet to be explored within this context. To enhance the well-being of dentists, an evaluation of a test group participating in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) program was conducted. This assessment included daily cortisol curves, as well as salivary IL-6, IL-1β, and oxytocin levels. Additionally, empathy, burnout, self-compassion, depression, and mindfulness levels were measured before and after the training. In this study, the main hypothesis was that, compared to the control group, the test group would exhibit lower IL-1β, IL-6, and cortisol levels, along with higher oxytocin levels. Furthermore, as the secondary hypotheses was that the test group would demonstrate increased empathy, self-compassion, and mindfulness levels, accompanied by reductions in depression and burnout scores.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mindfulness Meditation; Burn Out (Psychology); Self Compassion
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindfulness based Self compassion

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 49
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Balcali
    • Adana, Balcali, Turkey, 01130
      • Cukurova university Faculty of Dentistry

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• dentists in their final year of specialty training at the Faculty of Dentistry,
• systemicaly healthy

Exclusion Criteria:

• individuals who received a diagnosis of mood disorders based on DSM-5 criteria following a standard diagnostic assessment conducted by psychiatrists from the Department of Psychiatry

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Test group (Self Compassion Training group)	Behavioral: Mindfulness based Self compassion; All participants in the test group completed the 8-week MBCL (Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living) training, consisting of 2-hour sessions per week, in accordance with the MBCL training protocol. Training was conducted by one expert periodontist who is also an internationally certified MBCL instructor
No Intervention: Control group (No training)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Self-Compassion Scale	The 6 subscales that comprise the 26-item self-compassion scale are self-kindness, self-judgment , common humanity , isolation , mindfulness and over-identification Participants indicate their responses to each item using a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (Almost Never) to 5 (Almost Always). Higher score indicates greater self-compassion.	Baseline and after 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Saliva Cortisol	Saliva sampling for the daily cortisol curve was scheduled for both the test and control groups. For the test group, samples were collected before the commencement of the MBCL (Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living) training (T1) and after its completion (T2). For the control group, saliva collection was aligned with the same time periods with the test group. Samples were collected five times per day at specific time points: 30 minutes after waking, at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 10:00 PM (with group reminders provided at designated times). Salivary cortisol was estimated by solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (DiaMetra, Boldon, UK) in ng/ml. The procedure was done as per the manufacturer guidelines on saliva samples.	Baseline and after 8 weeks
Saliva IL 6	IL-6 levels were measured in pg/ml using the commercial kit ELISA according to the instructions of the producer.	Baseline and after 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cukurova University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 11, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): January 12, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 20, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2025
• Last Verified: January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Burnout, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: Cukurova University DHF-11

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No