Umeå University's logo

Background: Compassion contributes to wellbeing and serves as a protective factor against mental health problems in young people. The Compassionate Engagement and Action Scale for Youth—Swedish version (CEASY-SE) is a self-report questionnaire that assesses compassion across six competencies, organized into three scales: Self-Compassion, Compassion for Others, and Compassion from Others. While previously validated in a Swedish school sample, its applicability in clinical psychiatric populations remains unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of CEASY-SE in a clinical psychiatric sample of Swedish youth aged 16–22.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, collecting self-reported data from young people (N = 355) receiving care in child and adolescent psychiatry and primary care. We assessed the CEASY-SE's factor structure, reliability, and validity (internal consistency, convergent, divergent, construct, and criterion-related validity). Sex and age differences were also analyzed, along with comparisons of total scores across diagnostic groups.

Results: Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor model within each of the three scales. Internal consistency was good to excellent across all scales (α ranging from 0.75 to 0.92), except for the Self-Compassion Engagement subscale among males (α = 0.62; ω = 0.60). Convergent and divergent validity were satisfactory. Among the three CEASY-SE scales, Self-Compassion showed the strongest correlations with mental health outcomes. Sex differences primarily affected Compassion for Others, and a sex-by-age interaction was found for both Compassion for Others and Self-Compassion. A total score of 40 was associated with an 8.41-fold increase in the predicted probability of depression symptoms compared to a score of 100. The lowest scores were found among patients with eating disorders and depression.

Conclusions: The CEASY-SE demonstrates acceptable to excellent psychometric properties in a clinical psychiatric sample of youth. It is a promising tool for clinicians and researchers to assess and promote compassion in young people, with potential relevance for interventions aimed at improving mental health outcomes.

Introduction: Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) has shown promising outcomes for young people, but research on CFT for this population remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a seven-session, therapist-led, internet-based group CFT for young people, and to investigate its preliminary effects.

Methods: A two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted. The study included 42 participants (aged 15–20), experiencing mild to moderate stress, anxiety, or depression, most of whom (90%) were female. In the intervention group, 22 participants were included in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05448014).

Results: The intervention group had low attrition and moderate attendance, with 77% completing four or more modules. No adverse events were reported, and participants generally expressed satisfaction with the intervention. Linear regression models showed preliminary between-group differences in two variables. Depressive symptoms increased post-intervention for individuals in the intervention group compared to the waitlist (WL) group (p = 0.002). Self-compassion improved in the intervention group (p = 0.023). These patterns were consistent among participants who completed more than two sessions. Within-group analyses indicated moderate, significant improvements in stress, self-compassion and compassion from others.

Discussion: These preliminary results suggest that CFT is feasible and acceptable and may offer benefits for young people, particularly by enhancing self-compassion and compassion for others. The observed increase in depressive symptoms in the intervention group, despite improvements in self-compassion, warrants further investigation. Larger studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results and to better understand the underlying mechanisms.

Introduction: Young people in rural areas face challenges related to their living conditions, and unequal access to physical and mental healthcare. Despite the high prevalence of trauma exposure among young people, there is a significant lack of evidence-based treatment that is tailored to the needs of young people in rural parts of Northern Sweden. Barriers to accessing treatment include the need to travel long distances to access services, and a lack of educated, culturally competent therapists. Accordingly, this article aims to explore how young trauma patients in rural areas have experienced their trauma therapy, and their views on future trauma therapy (including digital forms). This knowledge will be used to develop trauma therapy that is adapted to the needs of young patients in rural areas in Sweden.

Method: The study included young trauma patients in rural areas in Northern Sweden between the ages of 15 and 21 (n = 14). Qualitative individual semi-structured interviews were performed and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in one overarching theme, “Longing to be cared about and cared for,” and three themes: 1. “Rural circumstances matter,” 2. “Feeling understood and empowered”, and 3. “Ambivalence regarding digital trauma therapy”. The results show that rural contexts present both possibilities and challenges: new creative care landscapes are needed where young people are cared about and cared for (and with), including a deeper understanding of the multidimensional relationship between people, places, and care.

Conclusion: Young trauma patients in rural areas want effective therapy with more knowledge and cultural sensitivity. The findings indicate that digital trauma therapy offers many benefits and reduces barriers. However, young people want future therapy to be provided both digitally and in person, and –importantly – individually adapted.