Effectiveness of Compassion Focused Therapy on Self-blaming and Depressive Symptoms of Depressed Bullied Adolescents

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) in reducing self-blame and depressive symptoms in adolescents who have been bullied. Methods and Materials: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was employed with 30 adolescents from Tehran, randomly assigned to either an intervention group receiving CFT or a control group. The intervention group underwent eight CFT sessions aimed at reducing self-blame and depressive symptoms, while the control group received no intervention. Self-blame and depressive symptoms were measured at three time points: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up (five months post-intervention). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS-26. Findings: The results revealed significant reductions in both self-blame and depressive symptoms in the intervention group. The analysis indicated that the intervention group had significantly lower self-blame (F = 7.12, p = 0.009) and depressive symptoms (F = 9.12, p = 0.005) compared to the control group, with moderate to large effect sizes (η² = 0.236 for self-blame, η² = 0.287 for depression). Post-hoc comparisons confirmed significant differences between the pre-test and post-test, and between the post-test and follow-up for both self-blame and depression, suggesting sustained benefits of the therapy. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is an effective intervention for reducing self-blame and depressive symptoms in adolescents who have experienced bullying. These results support the utility of CFT in fostering self-compassion and improving emotional regulation in this vulnerable population, contributing to improved mental health outcomes.