self-compassion therapy as a transformative intervention for adolescent girls’ body image

Background: adolescent girls often struggle with negative body image, leading to rumination and distress. the objective of this investigation was to examine the potential of self-compassion therapy (sct) to mitigate rumination and bolster distress tolerance in adolescent girls experiencing body image concerns.methods: this experimental study comprised all adolescent girls in ahvaz, iran, who reported body image concerns in 2023. a sample of 30 adolescent girls was drawn using multi-stage cluster sampling and then randomly allocated to either an experimental (n=15) or a control (n=15) group. data collection was facilitated using the ruminative response scale and distress tolerance scale. the experimental group participated in a ten-week structured self-compassion training (sct) program, with one 60-minute session per week. the control group received no intervention. analysis of covariance (ancova) was employed to assess the impact of sct on the dependent variables, using spss version 25.results: at pre-test, both groups reported similar levels of rumination (sct group: m=64.53, sd=7.59; control group: m=68.26, sd=9.46) and distress tolerance (sct group: m=31.06, sd=6.86; control group: m=32.06, sd=5.23). after the 10-week sct intervention, the experimental group showed a significant reduction in rumination (m=36.26, sd=5.57) and a significant increase in distress tolerance (m=66.60, sd=5.02) compared with the control group (p<0.001). sct was found to be effective in significantly reducing rumination and increasing distress tolerance in adolescent girls with body image concerns (p<0.001).conclusion: sct has demonstrated its efficacy in mitigating rumination and enhancing distress tolerance among adolescent girls confronting body image challenges. the study findings underscored the potential of sct as a promising intervention for this vulnerable population.