Self-compassion in eating disorders and childhood trauma: A study of within-person effects in a randomized controlled trial

Figures & data

Figure 1. Flow diagram of the RCT.

Table 1. Sample and group characteristics at pre-treatment.

Characteristics	Total (N = 130)	CFT (n = 65)	CBT (n = 65)	Statistics
Age, years (M ± SD)	30.9 (9.7)	32.6 (10.9)	29.0 (7.6)	2.0^1
Duration of illness, years (M ± SD)	14.2 (8.9)	15.6 (9.6)	12.9 (8.1)	1.5^1
Treatment
Duration of treatment, years (M ± SD)	5.6 (5.1)	7.2 (6.0)	4.5 (3.8)	2.9**^1
Previous inpatient treatment n (%)	76 (58.5)	33 (50.8)	43 (66.2)	3.1^2
Occupational status
Disabled n (%)	54 (41.5)	38 (46.2)	24 (36.9)	1.1^2
Unemployed n (%)	3 (2.3)	3 (4.6)	0 (0)	0.0^2
Sick leave n (%)	30 (23.1)	15 (23.1)	15 (23.1)	0.0^2
Employed n (%)	27 (20.8)	10 (15.4)	17 (26.2)	1.1^2
Student n (%)	16 (12.3)	7 (10.8)	9 (13.8)	0.3^2
Educational status
Primary school n (%)	13 (10.0)	7 (10.8)	6 (9.2)	0.1^2
High school n (%)	50 (38.5)	21 (32.2)	29 (44.6)	0.0^2
Higher education (<4 years) n (%)	26 (20.0)	13 (20.0)	13 (20.0)	0.3^2
Higher education (>4 years) n (%)	16 (12.3)	9 (13.8)	7 (10.8)	2.1^2
Self-mutilation n (%)	57 (43.8)	27 (41.5)	30 (46.2)	0.3^2
Eating disorder symptoms
Bulimia nervosa	51 (39.2)	21 (32.3)	30 (46.2)	2.6^2
Anorexia nervosa	33 (25.4)	18 (27.7)	15 (23.1)	0.4^2
Other specified eating disorder	46 (35.4)	26 (40.0)	20 (30.8)	1.2^2
BMI (M ± SD)	21.5 (5.5)	20.9 (5.4)	22.2 (5.7)	1.2^1
EDE (M ± SD)	4.6 (1.2)	4.4 (1.3)	4.4 (1.1)	0.1^1
Binging n (%)	70 (54.3)	32 (49.2)	38 (58.5)	1.3^2
Vomiting n (%)	78 (60.5)	35 (53.8)	43 (66.2)	2.4^2
Use of laxatives n (%)	25 (19.2)	12 (18.5)	13 (20.0)	0.1^2

Note: CFT = compassion focused therapy; CBT = cognitive behavior therapy; BMI = body mass index

¹ t-value ² Mann-Whitney

Table II. Number of diagnosis, trauma categories and trauma severity.

Diagnosis	Total (N = 130)	CFT (n = 65)	CBT (n = 65)	Statistics
Number of diagnosis	2.1 (1.6)	2.1 (1.5)	2.1 (1.6)	0.00^2
PTSD n (%)	36 (28.1)	22 (34.4)	14 (21.9)	2.47^1
Panic disorder n (%)	29 (22.7)	14 (21.9)	15 (23.4)	0.05^1
Agoraphobia n (%)	23 (18.0)	9 (14.1)	14 (21.9)	1.32^1
Social phobia, n (%)	34 (26.2)	15 (23.4)	19 (29.7)	0.64^1
Affective disorder n (%)	90 (70.3)	44 (68.8)	46 (71.9)	0.15^1
Obsessive compulsive disorder n (%)	20 (15.4)	10 (15.6)	10 (15.6)	0.00^1
Abuse disorder n (%)	14 (11.0)	5 (7.9)	9 (14.1)	1.22^1
CTQ
Sexual abuse n (%)	25 (19.2)	15 (23.1)	10 (15.4)	1.24^1
Emotional abuse n (%)	43 (33.1)	28 (43.1)	15 (23.1)	5.87*^1
Emotional neglect n (%)	83 (63.8)	40 (61.5)	43 (66.2)	0.30^1
Physical abuse n (%)	15 (11.5)	10 (15.4)	5 (7.7)	1.88^1
Physical neglect n (%)	108 (83.1)	53 (81.5)	55 (84.6)	0.22^1
Sexual abuse, mean (SD)	7.5 (5.8)	8.5 (7.2)	6.5 (4.0)	1.79^2
Emotional abuse, mean (SD)	10.0 (5.5)	11.1 (5.6)	9.0 (5.4)	2.02*^2
Emotional neglect, mean (SD)	18.3 (5.8)	17.4 (5.4)	19.2 (6.0)	−1.69^2
Physical abuse, mean (SD)	6.3 (3.1)	6.6 (2.9)	6.1 (3.3)	0.81^2
Physical neglect, mean (SD)	12.3 (2.0)	12.4 (2.3)	12.1 (1.6)	0.89^2

Note: CBT = Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CFT = Compassion Focused Therapy, PTSD = Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, CTQ = Childhood Traumatic Questionnaire

¹ Mann-Whitney

² t-test

Table III. SC: Fixed effect estimates and variance for models by between- and within-person by treatment and trauma for eating disorder symptoms in MLM.

	Model 1			Model 2			Model 3
				Fixed	effects
Predictor	Estimate	SE	t	Estimate	SE	t	Estimate	SE	t
Intercept	5.3	.30	18.38***	5.7	.45	11.6***	5.8	1.14	5.15***
Time	−.07	.01	−4.79***	-.06	.01	−5.8***	−.06	.01	−5.39***
Treatment	−.10	.17	.58	.96	.58	.88	−.1.3	.72	-.91
Trauma	−.14	.17	−.83	.51	.58	−1.7	−.19	1.71	−1.68
BP SC	−1.09	.15	−7.4***	−1.2	.27	−1.49	−3.9	.61	−2.29***
WP SC	.04	.03	1.1	−.05	.06	1.20	.25	.09	−2.6**
Treatment*BP SC				−.32	.30	−1.07	1.2	.48	2.1*
Treatment*WP SC				−.11	.79	−1.48	.59	.12	4.79***
Trauma*BP SC				.43	.31	1.39	.16	.46	.35
Trauma*WP SC				.10	.08	1.31	.26	.11	2.37
Trauma*Treatment*BP SC							−1.2	.63	−1.9
Trauma*treatment*WP SC							−.70	.15	−4.67***
					Random	effects
Intercept variance			.89***		.96***			.82***
Residual variance			.01***		.01***			.01***
AIC			1641.3		1642.1			1606.6

Note. SC = Self-compassion, AIC = Akaike’s Information Criterion, dependent variable: EDE.

* = p < .05, *** = p < .001. SC = Self-compassion, WP = within-person, BP = between-person. SE = Standard Error.

Trauma = 0, No trauma = 1. CFT = 0, CBT = 1. Within-person variable of SC was lagged.

Table IV. EDE: Fixed effect estimates and variance for models by between- and within-person by treatment and trauma for self-compassion in MLM.

	Model 1			Model 2			Model 3
				Fixed	effects
Predictor	Estimate	SE	t	Estimate	SE	t	Estimate	SE	t
Intercept	3.0	.21	13.9***	2.6	.32	8.1***	2.6	.35	7.6***
Time	.04	.01	6.4***	.04	.01	6.3***	.04	.01	6.3***
Treatment	.08	.12	.68	.40	.41	.97	.31	.70	.44
Trauma	.20	.12	1.7	.60	.40	1.5	.58	.48	1.2
BP EDE	−.38	.05	−7.2***	-.28	.09	−3.1**	−.32	.10	−3.3***
WP EDE	−.09	.30	−3.0**	.01	.06	.16	.05	.07	.77
Treatment*BP EDE				−.10	.11	−.87	−.01	.19	−.04
Treatment*WP EDE				.02	.06	.41	−10	.09	−1.2
Trauma*BP EDE				−.11	.11	−.98	−.05	.13	−.36
Trauma*WP EDE				−.16	.06	−2.7**	−.30	.09	−3.3***
Trauma*Treatment*BP EDE							-.14	.23	−.60
Trauma*treatment*WP EDE							.24	.12	2.0*
				Random effects
Intercept variance			.36***		.35***			.35***
Residual variance			.01**		.01**			.01**
AIC			1424.8		1415.8			1415.8

Note: SC = Self-compassion, EDE = eating disorder symptoms, AIC = Akaike’s Information Criterion. Dependent variable: SC.

* = p < .05, *** = p < .001, WP = within-person, BP = between-person. SE = Standard Error. EDE = eating disorder symptoms, SC = self-compassion

Trauma = 0, No trauma = 1. CFT = 0, CBT = 1. Within-person variable of EDE was lagged.

Figure 2. Regression model of the within-person scores of self-compassion on eating disorder symptom scores in patients with trauma in CFT-E versus the remaining patients in the study. Note: Y-axis = within-person symptom score (EDE), X-axis = within-person score self-compassion.