The Effect of a Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program Implemented in Prison on Internalized Stigma, Emotion Regulation, and Forgiveness in Juvenile Delinquents

NCT07098637 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 2024-142
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 68
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program on internalized stigma, emotion regulation, and forgiveness among adolescents involved in delinquency under prison conditions. Objectives Objective 1: To develop a Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program for juveniles involved in delinquency and to ensure its content validity. Objective 2: To conduct a pilot implementation of the developed psychoeducation program. Objective 3: To administer pre-tests to juveniles involved in delinquency using psychometrically validated and reliable scales to assess levels of internalized stigma, emotion regulation, and forgiveness. Objective 4: To implement the developed psychoeducation program in a prison setting over the course of six sessions. Objective 5: To administer post-tests to juveniles involved in delinquency using psychometrically validated and reliable scales to assess levels of internalized stigma, emotion regulation, and forgiveness. Objective 6: To perform statistical analyses of the collected data. H₀ Hypothesis: The Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program administered to juveniles involved in delinquency in a prison setting does not affect the mean scores of internalized stigma, emotion regulation, and forgiveness in the experimental group. H₁a Hypothesis: The Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program administered to juveniles involved in delinquency in a prison setting decreases the mean scores of internalized stigma in the experimental group. H₁b Hypothesis: The Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program administered to juveniles involved in delinquency in a prison setting increases the mean scores of emotion regulation in the experimental group. H₁c Hypothesis: The Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program administered to juveniles involved in delinquency in a prison setting increases the mean scores of forgiveness in the experimental group.

Conditions

Juvenile Delinquency

Keywords

Self-Compassion; Forgiveness; Stigmatization; Emotion Regulation; juvenile delinquency

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Forgiveness Scale for Adolescents

  The Forgiveness Scale for Adolescents (FSA), developed by Asıcı and Karaca (2018), is a 21-item, 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = Does not describe me at all, 5 = Describes me completely) designed to measure adolescents' tendency to forgive in interpersonal relationships. The FSA includes four subscales that reflect components of forgiveness: revenge, holding a grudge, and empathy. Higher scores on each subscale indicate a stronger presence of the trait measured by that subscale. In addition, a total score can be obtained from the scale. Total scores range from 21 to 105, with higher scores indicating a higher tendency to forgive. In this study, only the total scores from the scale were used. In the scale development study, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the entire scale was calculated as .90, indicating high internal consistency.

  From enrollment until the end of the 6-week psychoeducation program

• Emotion Regulation Scale for Children and Adolescents

  The scale was developed by Phillips and Power (2007) and its validity and reliability study was conducted by Yıldız and Duy (2014). The scale consists of 18 items and is scored on a 5-point Likert scale. It includes four sub-dimensions: Internal Functional Emotion Regulation (IFER), External Functional Emotion Regulation (EFER), Internal Dysfunctional Emotion Regulation (IDER), and External Dysfunctional Emotion Regulation (EDER). As the scores on the sub-dimensions increase, it indicates that the adolescent more frequently uses the emotion regulation strategy represented by that sub-dimension. Conversely, lower scores suggest less frequent use of that strategy. According to Yıldız and Duy (2014), the test-retest reliability coefficients obtained by administering the scale to 175 students with a two-week interval were reported as follows: 0.51 for the internal functional emotion regulation sub-dimension, 0.70 for the external dysfunctional emotion regulation sub-dimension, 0.56 for t

  From enrollment until the end of the 6-week psychoeducation program

• Internalized Stigma Scale for Children and Adolescents

  The Internalized Stigma Scale for Children and Adolescents was developed by Çağlayan (2019). The scale consists of 32 items grouped under six factors: Behavioral Problems (25 items): Children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems often get into fights. Social and Academic Adjustment (8 items): Children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems are considered unreliable. Concealment of Diagnosis (3 items): Individuals with emotional and behavioral problems make an effort to keep their issues a secret. Feelings of Exclusion (1 item): Children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems engage in self-harming behaviors. Chronicity of the Problem (5 items): Individuals with emotional and behavioral problems feel bad because of their diagnosis. Emotional Difficulties (19 items): Children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems often feel lonely. The total score that can be obtained from the scale ranges between 32 and 160.

  From enrollment until the end of the 6-week psychoeducation program

Study Arms (2)

control group

NO INTERVENTION

A total of 68 delinquent adolescents who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to the experimental and control groups using a block-based simple randomization method. Accordingly, 34 participants from Block A were randomly assigned to the experimental group, while 34 participants from Block B were randomly assigned to the control group in an unbiased manner. Placement into blocks was conducted without considering individual characteristics, and equal capacity between blocks was ensured to maintain intra-block homogeneity. This method prevented direct interaction between groups, ensuring both physical separation and effective blinding between the experimental and control groups. Thus, participants were unaware of each other's group assignments, preserving the integrity and methodological validity of the study.

experimental group

EXPERIMENTAL

A total of 68 delinquent adolescents who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to the experimental and control groups using a block-based simple randomization method. Accordingly, 34 participants from Block A were randomly assigned to the experimental group, while 34 participants from Block B were randomly assigned to the control group in an unbiased manner. Placement into blocks was conducted without considering individual characteristics, and equal capacity between blocks was ensured to maintain intra-block homogeneity. This method prevented direct interaction between groups, ensuring both physical separation and effective blinding between the experimental and control groups. Thus, participants were unaware of each other's group assignments, preserving the integrity and methodological validity of the study.

Behavioral: Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program

Interventions

Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program BEHAVIORAL

The researcher completed the internationally accredited institutional and practical training program titled "All About Compassion in 12 Weeks: A Thousand Faces of Compassion", offered by the School of Compassion. Expert opinions were sought from the planning phase of the study for the content of the program, which was designed by the researchers. In developing the content of the Self-Compassionate Mindfulness Psychoeducation Program for Delinquent Adolescents, the opinions of three academic faculty members were consulted. Based on the suggestions received, the session titles of the psychoeducation program were determined as follows: 1. Holding Our Own Hand: Discovering Self-Compassion 2. Discovering Awareness of Thought 3. Understanding Pain, Approaching with Compassion 4. Facing Reality: Acceptance 5. Calm Waters: Forgiveness 6. Moving Forward, Farewell, and a New Beginning.

experimental group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 12 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Being literate
• Being able to speak and understand Turkish
• Being between 12 and 18 years of age
• Having been convicted and currently incarcerated
• Willingness to participate in the study

You may not qualify if:

• Unwillingness to participate in the study
• Having a psychiatric diagnosis that may disrupt group dynamics
• Being younger than 12 or older than 18 years of age
• Having a physical disability that may affect participation in the study (e.g., hearing, speech impairments, etc.)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ondokuz Mayıs University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stereotyping; Emotional Regulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior; Self-Control

Central Study Contacts

Abdullah u lecturer

CONTACT

+905355560163; abdullahusta2853@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: To prevent bias and enhance internal validity, the processes of randomization and blinding were structured in accordance with the physical layout of the correctional facility. The institution consists of two separate blocks (Block A and Block B), and this architectural structure served as the basis for implementing randomization. A total of 68 delinquent adolescents who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to experimental and control groups using block-based simple randomization. Accordingly, 34 participants from Block A were randomly assigned to the experimental group, and 34 participants from Block B were randomly assigned to the control group, ensuring an unbiased distribution. Placement into blocks was conducted without regard to individual characteristics, and equal block capacity was considered to ensure intra-block homogeneity. This approach enabled physical separation between the groups, preventing direct contact and facilitating effective blinding between experimental and
• Purpose: SCREENING
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: lecturer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 23, 2025
• First Posted: August 1, 2025
• Study Start: September 20, 2025
• Primary Completion: November 20, 2025
• Study Completion: December 20, 2025
• Last Updated: August 1, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share