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    "doi": "10.1371\/journal.pone.0342744",
    "status": "found",
    "title": "Compassion-focused group therapy improves depression, emotional eating, self-criticism and shame in people living with severe obesity: A single-centre, examiner-blind randomized controlled trial",
    "authors": [
        "Mary Hynes",
        "Francis M. Finucane",
        "Chris Collins",
        "Timothy O’Brien",
        "Oliver McAnena",
        "Grace O’Shea",
        "Monika Pilch",
        "Brian E. McGuire"
    ],
    "container": "PLOS One",
    "year": "2026",
    "doi_url": "https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0342744",
    "is_open_access": true,
    "oa_status": "gold",
    "best_landing_page": "https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/41880241",
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    "abstract": "BACKGROUND: Severe obesity (defined as a BMI ≥ 40 kg m-2) is often accompanied by significant mental health co-morbidities such as eating disorders and depressive disorder and people living with severe obesity often experience feelings of shame, self-criticism and feelings of inferiority in relation to others. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) was specifically designed for people with high levels of shame and self-criticism and aims to promote self-compassion which is regarded as an adaptive emotional regulation strategy. AIMS: To explore the effect on psychological outcomes of a 10-session (weekly for 2 hours) in-person, group-based CFT intervention for people living with severe obesity. We sought to determine whether CFT would lead to improved self-compassion, depressive symptoms, emotional eating, shame, self-criticism, submissive behavior, and negative social comparison. METHOD: A single-centre, randomized controlled trial was carried out with 91 participants allocated to either 'treatment as usual' (n = 46) or 'treatment as usual with additional group based CFT' (n = 45). Treatment as usual included dietary advice, assessment by a Consultant Endocrinologist with possible prescription of medication, and participation in an eight-week lifestyle modification programme. Psychological outcomes were recorded at three time points (pre-treatment, post-treatment, and three-months after the end of group-based CFT). RESULTS: CFT led to statistically and clinically significant improvements in self-compassion, self-coldness, mood, shame, emotional eating, self-criticism, social comparison, and submissive behaviour (all p < 0.001) compared with treatment as usual. These results were maintained at three-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Group CFT appears to be an effective psychological intervention to alleviate psychological distress in people living with severe obesity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03249441.",
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