Compassion-focused therapy improved reported well-being in a medical student pilot trial
Students receiving online therapy reported better well-being and resilience than those waiting for treatment, but the abstract does not quantify the gains.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
This pilot randomized trial suggests that online compassion-focused therapy may improve medical students’ self-reported well-being and resilience and reduce fear of happiness compared with waiting for treatment. The authors report that improvements persisted at follow-up. The abstract does not establish how large or practically meaningful the changes were, or whether they extend to patient care.
The abstract omits participant numbers, effect sizes and confidence intervals. Outcomes were self-reported, and the comparator was a waiting list, leaving uncertainty about magnitude and comparison with other therapies.
What researchers found
Self-reported psychological well-being
Online compassion-focused therapy versus waiting-list control after 8 weeks; reported as statistically significant, with no effect size provided.
What was tested
Students were randomly assigned to receive online compassion-focused therapy or wait for it. Questionnaires assessed well-being, resilience and fear of happiness before treatment, at completion and again during follow-up.
What the outcomes mean
These findings describe how students rated their psychological experiences. The abstract does not report measures of patient care, so the authors’ broader suggestions about benefits for future clinical practice remain untested here.
The original publication
Evaluating the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy on psychological outcomes in medical students: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Alimohamadi A, Ghasemzadeh M, Baberi F et al.
Br J Health Psychol · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41099402
- Record checked
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