An interventional study of Describing a shameful experience using a self-compassionate prompt and Receiving compassionate responses from confederates in Shame and Compassion, sponsored by University of Texas at Austin. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-12-01.
Sponsored by University of Texas at Austin · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This is a four-arm randomized pilot study aimed at reducing internal and/or external shame using self-compassion and/or compassion from others. The study is designed to test the theory that trait shame is comprised of both internal and external shame and to test compassion for others as an intervention for external shame.
Shame is a common, painful emotion involving negative evaluations of the self. It has been theorized that trait shame involves both internal shame (i.e., evaluating oneself negatively) and external shame (i.e., perceiving that others evaluate the self negatively). Shame is experienced across a variety of psychiatric illnesses, yet it has been highly understudied.
Self-compassion has been used as an intervention for reducing shame in a variety of research studies, often in the context of a specific psychiatric disorder. However, self-compassion interventions, which aim to change the way one thinks and feels about oneself, may specifically target internal shame but not external shame. It is proposed that receiving compassion from others is an analogous and plausible intervention for external shame. In order to test the theory that trait shame is comprised of both internal and external shame and to test compassion for others as an intervention for external shame, a four-arm randomized pilot study aimed at reducing internal and/or external shame using self-compassion and/or compassion from others is proposed here.
Participants (N=180) scoring high on both internal and external shame on self-report measures will be assessed at baseline using both questionnaires and a shame-memory recall. Participants will be randomized to one of four conditions: a) describing a shameful experience using a self-compassionate prompt and receiving no verbal responses from confederates (self-compassion only), b) describing a shameful experience using a neutral prompt and receiving compassionate responses from confederates (compassion from others only), c) both describing a shameful experience using a self-compassionate prompt and receiving compassionate responses from confederates (self-compassion plus compassion from others), or d) describing a shameful experience using a neutral prompt and receiving no verbal responses from confederates (sharing-only control). Participants will complete questionnaires and shame-memory recalls again immediately following the sharing intervention and at a one-week post-intervention follow-up.
The two primary outcome measures will be state internal shame, as measured by the Internalized Shame Sclae, and state external shame, as measured by the Other As a Shamer scale. Both the Internalized Shame Scale and Other As a Shamer scale will be administered at baseline (immediately pre-treatment), immediately post-treatment, and a one-week post-intervention follow-up. Secondary outcome measures will include the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and a real-time assessment of state shame.
It is expected that (a) participants assigned to describe a shameful experience using self-compassionate instructions will display larger reductions in internal shame relative to those assigned to describe a shameful experience using neutral instructions; (b) participants who receive compassionate responses from others after sharing a shameful experience will display larger reductions in external shame relative to those assigned to a listening-only control; and (c) participants assigned to describe a shameful experience using self-compassionate instructions combined with receiving compassionate responses from others will display larger reductions in both internal and external shame relative to participants who receive either component alone.
University of Texas at Austin is the lead sponsor of 319 studies on the registry; 78 are open to participants now.
Of its 10 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (50%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Describing a shameful experience using a self-compassionate prompt and receiving no verbal responses from confederates
Behavioral: Describing a shameful experience using a self-compassionate prompt · Behavioral: Receiving no response from confederates
Describing a shameful experience using a neutral prompt and receiving compassionate responses from confederates
Behavioral: Receiving compassionate responses from confederates · Behavioral: Describing a shameful experience using a neutral prompt
Both describing a shameful experience using a self-compassionate prompt and receiving compassionate responses from confederates
Behavioral: Describing a shameful experience using a self-compassionate prompt · Behavioral: Receiving compassionate responses from confederates
Describing a shameful experience using a neutral prompt and receiving no verbal responses from confederates
Behavioral: Describing a shameful experience using a neutral prompt · Behavioral: Receiving no response from confederates
Participants will be instructed to describe a shameful experience to two confederates using a self-compassionate prompt
Also known as: Self-compassionate prompt
Following the participant's description of a shameful experience, two confederates will respond with compassionate responses
Also known as: Compassionate confederates
Participants will be instructed to describe a shameful experience to two confederates using a neutral (i.e., not self-compassionate) prompt
Also known as: Neutral prompt
Following the participant's description of a shameful experience, two confederates will not be allowed to provide any verbal response
Also known as: Neutral confederates
Internal shame
Measured by scores on Internalized Shame Scale (range: 0-120, higher indicates more shame)
Time frame: One-week post-intervention
Internal shame
Measured by scores on Internalized Shame Scale (range: 0-120, higher indicates more shame)
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
External shame
Measured by scores on Other As Shamer Scale (range: 0-72, higher indicates more shame)
Time frame: One-week post-intervention
External shame
Measured by scores on Other As Shamer Scale (range: 0-72, higher indicates more shame)
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
Shame activation
Real-time assessment of shame activation during shame memory recall tasks (range: 0-100)
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
Shame activation
Real-time assessment of shame activation during shame memory recall tasks (range: 0-100)
Time frame: one-week follow-up
State shame
Micro-assessment of state shame using Positive and Negative Affect Scale (range: 1-5, higher indicates more shame)
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
State shame
Micro-assessment of state shame using Positive and Negative Affect Scale (range: 1-5, higher indicates more shame)
Time frame: one-week follow-up
Electrodermal response to shame
Measured in microsiemens (μS) by Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
Electrodermal response to shame
Measured in microsiemens (μS) by Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: one-week follow-up
Blood volume pulse in reaction to shame
Changes in blood volume measured by Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
Blood volume pulse in reaction to shame
Changes in blood volume measured by Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: one-week follow-up
Motion in reaction to shame
Measured by 3-axis accelerometer sensor in the range \[-2g, 2g\] using Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
Motion in reaction to shame
Measured by 3-axis accelerometer sensor in the range \[-2g, 2g\] using Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: one-week follow-up
Skin temperature reaction to shame
Temperature measured in degrees Celcius by Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: 5 minutes post-intervention
Skin temperature reaction to shame
Temperature measured in degrees Celcius by Empatica E4 during shame memory recall tasks
Time frame: one-week follow-up
Plan to share: No
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University of Texas at Austin