Gosden, Emily;
(2025)
Helping the Helpers: Enhancing Self-Compassion and Professional Quality of Life Through Immersive Virtual Reality.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Part One: Systematic Review A systematic review exploring the effectiveness of self-compassion interventions in reducing burnout among nurses. Five scientific databases were searched using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. After screening, eight papers met the inclusion criteria and were assessed for risk of bias. Findings regarding the impact of self-compassion interventions on nurses’ experiences of burnout are discussed alongside clinical and research implications. The review provides early indications that such interventions may be beneficial, though further high-quality research is needed. Part Two: Empirical paper An experimental study investigated whether a brief CFT-informed immersive virtual reality (IVR) intervention could improve professional quality of life in a novel sample and whether enhancements targeting fears, blocks, and resistances (FBRs) to compassion would provide added benefit. This study also aimed to explore mechanisms of change. The intervention was associated with significant reductions in fears of compassion and increases in self-compassion and aspects of professional quality of life. These outcomes were observed regardless of whether participants received the enhanced or original version. No evidence of mediation was found for the variables analysed. This was a joint project with Kaan Gulum, who explored fear of compassion, self-compassion and psychological distress quantitatively, and Mahum Mustafa, who qualitatively examined participants’ experiences of the intervention. Part Three: Critical appraisal The critical appraisal offers a reflective account of personal and professional experiences throughout the research process, spanning both the systematic review and empirical study. It considers challenges in developing each project, decision-making complexities, managing competing demands, and navigating moral and ethical tensions.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Helping the Helpers: Enhancing Self-Compassion and Professional Quality of Life Through Immersive Virtual Reality |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10214234 |
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