Compassion‐based interventions in Asian communities: A meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials

PURPOSE: Practising compassion increases well‐being and reduces depression, anxiety, and psychological distress among clinical and non‐clinical populations. There is a rapid increase in compassion‐based interventions within the past two decades. However, the reviews are limited to predominantly Western cultures. Therefore, this meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the literature attempting to promote and increase compassion in Asian communities. METHOD: Eight randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted between 2016 to 2021 were included in the meta‐analysis with data from 1012 participants across Thailand, Japan, China and Hong Kong. Effect sizes were calculated to test the efficacy of the compassion‐based interventions on the self‐compassion outcome. Intervention efficacy was tested by comparing the intervention groups against control groups (wait‐list control and active control groups) at pre‐ and post‐interventions. RESULTS: Significant between‐group differences in change scores were found on self‐report measures of self‐compassion with large effect sizes in interventions with wait‐list control groups (d = .86) and small effect sizes in interventions with active‐control groups (d = .19). CONCLUSIONS: Although compassion‐based interventions are heterogeneous in nature and limited in scope, there is promising evidence of improving self‐compassion in Asian communities. This supports for the cross‐cultural applicability of compassion‐based interventions. However, research within the Asian context is limited and at an infancy stage, signifying the importance of conducting further compassion‐based interventions in clinical and non‐clinical groups living in the Asian communities.