Abstract
This study evaluated the impact of a targeted self-compassion intervention for self-identified girls in youth sport. While sport participation offers important physical and psychosocial benefits, Canadian girls discontinue involvement at disproportionately high rates during adolescence. This is the third and final study in a series of projects which involved an initial needs assessment and feasibility study conducted with athletes, coaches, and parents. These sport participants identified harsh self-criticism as a significant barrier to girls’ sport enjoyment and retention. To address this, an intervention on self-compassion—defined as a kind, balanced response to suffering—was developed. Four 30-minute workshops were delivered to 30 girls participating in youth sport over the span of four weeks. Workshop activities included psychoeducation about tender and self-self-compassion, embodied self-compassion movement, applied worksheets, reflective homework, and newsletter updates sent to parents and coaches after each session. Pre- and post-intervention measures indicated significant increases in some measures of self-compassion (Sussex-Oxford Compassion for the Self Scale: pre M = 13.04, SD = 2.95; post M = 13.86, SD = 3.01; t = -2.18, p = .02; Compassionate Engagement and Action Scale: pre M = 12.70, SD = 2.75; post M = 13.68, SD = 2.51; t = -1.89, p = .04), but not the Youth Self-Compassion Scale or the Fear of Self-Compassion Scale. Results demonstrate the potential of this intervention to enhance self-compassion among girls, but more work must be done to make any cause-and-effect claims.
