Mitigating Photo-Investment in Young Adult Women Through an Online Self-Compassion Intervention: A Controlled Study

Abstract Objectives Social media platforms centered on visual content, such as Instagram, often expose young women to idealized images, heightening body dissatisfaction and maladaptive behaviors related to photo-investment. Self-compassion has been identified as a protective factor that may buffer against these negative effects. The present study investigated whether a brief online self-compassion intervention could increase self-compassion and reduce photo-investment in young adult women. Method To achieve this goal a controlled study has been performed. Fifty-four young women (18–30 years) were randomly assigned to a 3-week online self-compassion intervention or a waitlist control group. Self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, and photo-investment were assessed at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1). Data were analyzed using an intention-to-treat approach with 2 × 2 mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVAs. Results Significant time × group interactions were observed for self-kindness ( ηp 2 = 0.09), common humanity ( ηp 2 = 0.08), and photo-investment ( ηp 2 = 0.09), indicating greater improvements in the intervention group relative to controls. No significant interaction was found for mindfulness. Participants in the self-compassion intervention group also reported positive evaluations of the program’s usefulness and acceptability. Conclusions Preliminary findings suggest that brief, online self-compassion interventions can enhance self-kindness and reduce photo-investment, offering a promising, accessible approach to supporting body image resilience in the context of social media use. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.