{"title":"Self-compassion education for older adults' mental health and wellbeing: a mixed methods systematic review.","authors":"Shwikar Othman, Mary Steen, Nadia Abdelnasser","doi":"10.1080/13607863.2025.2476653","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To assess and explore the influence of self-compassion education for older adults' mental health and wellbeing; and identify facilitators and challenges that may impact providing self-compassion education for older adults' mental health and wellbeing.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A mixed methods systematic review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. A three-stage search approach was undertaken that included six electronic databases: Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Emcare, Ovid Nursing, Cochrane Library, and grey literature. Quality assessment was conducted via mixed methods appraisal tools. Quantitative data were synthesised into a narrative summary of the characteristics and findings of the influence of self-compassion education for older adults. For the qualitative data, a thematic synthesis was conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the included studies reported that self-compassion education for older adults was associated with improved psychological well-being, and higher levels of self-compassion, kindness towards oneself and others, and mindfulness. In addition, participants reported reduced distress, anxiety, and avoidance of negative experiences.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings provide evidence to guide further research on developing, designing, facilitating, and evaluating self-compassion education programs and workshops for older adults.</p><p><strong>Prospero registration: </strong>This systematic review is registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews: PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022310630.</p>","PeriodicalId":55546,"journal":{"name":"Aging & Mental Health","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Aging & Mental Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2025.2476653","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: To assess and explore the influence of self-compassion education for older adults' mental health and wellbeing; and identify facilitators and challenges that may impact providing self-compassion education for older adults' mental health and wellbeing.
Method: A mixed methods systematic review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. A three-stage search approach was undertaken that included six electronic databases: Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Emcare, Ovid Nursing, Cochrane Library, and grey literature. Quality assessment was conducted via mixed methods appraisal tools. Quantitative data were synthesised into a narrative summary of the characteristics and findings of the influence of self-compassion education for older adults. For the qualitative data, a thematic synthesis was conducted.
Results: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the included studies reported that self-compassion education for older adults was associated with improved psychological well-being, and higher levels of self-compassion, kindness towards oneself and others, and mindfulness. In addition, participants reported reduced distress, anxiety, and avoidance of negative experiences.
Conclusion: The findings provide evidence to guide further research on developing, designing, facilitating, and evaluating self-compassion education programs and workshops for older adults.
Prospero registration: This systematic review is registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews: PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022310630.
期刊介绍:
Aging & Mental Health provides a leading international forum for the rapidly expanding field which investigates the relationship between the aging process and mental health. The journal addresses the mental changes associated with normal and abnormal or pathological aging, as well as the psychological and psychiatric problems of the aging population. The journal also has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary and innovative approaches that explore new topics and methods.
Aging & Mental Health covers the biological, psychological and social aspects of aging as they relate to mental health. In particular it encourages an integrated approach for examining various biopsychosocial processes and etiological factors associated with psychological changes in the elderly. It also emphasizes the various strategies, therapies and services which may be directed at improving the mental health of the elderly and their families. In this way the journal promotes a strong alliance among the theoretical, experimental and applied sciences across a range of issues affecting mental health and aging. The emphasis of the journal is on rigorous quantitative, and qualitative, research and, high quality innovative studies on emerging topics.