Kaylee Dyall - Thesis Defence
COMPASSIONATE CARE: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL COMPARING BRIEF SELF-COMPASSION AND RELAXATION EXERCISES FOR WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER
MSc Psychology Candidate: Kaylee Dyall
10 September 2025
11:00 AM Atlantic / 9:00 AM CST
Hybrid Defence
Patterson #320
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Meeting ID: 267 916 283 916 1
Passcode: ie6yB9x9
Thesis Committee:
Dr. Stephanie Gauvin, Supervisor
Dr. Shaelyn Strachan, University of Manitoba, External Examiner
Dr. Cara MacInnis, Internal Examiner
Dr. Kristin Williams, Chair of the defence
Abstract
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. A cancer diagnosis is associated with significant distress that often goes untreated due to limited accessible psychosocial services, leading to worsened mental and physical health. Self-compassion has been shown to reduce distress and improve overall wellbeing. As such, we conducted a pilot evaluation to examine the effectiveness of brief self-compassion exercises for improving psychosocial wellbeing while also exploring participants’ experiences with the exercises. Using a randomized control trial, 136 women diagnosed with breast cancer were recruited for a longitudinal online study and randomized into either a self-compassion (i.e., experimental) or relaxation (i.e., active control) group. Part 1 included a pre-survey, exercise, and post-survey, and Part 2 included a follow-up survey. Using a repeated measures analysis of variance, we assessed changes in psychosocial outcomes (distress, anxiety, depression, and experiential avoidance) across each survey (i.e., three time points) and between both groups. We also examined treatment experience from responses within the surveys and interviews conducted with a subset of participants in the self-compassion group. Both the self-compassion and relaxation exercises reduced distress immediately following exposure to the exercise (η² = .0017) and distress, anxiety, depression, and experiential avoidance one month later, with no differences between groups. Apart from anxiety (Cohen’s d = 0.59), effect sizes were quite small and unlikely to be clinically meaningful (Cohen’s d range = 0.28 to 0.4). Women were fairly satisfied with the exercises and found them helpful. However, women also faced barriers to engaging with the exercises which were addressed through recommendations for improvement, such as additional psychoeducation and/or group therapy. Future directions are discussed, including suggestions for increasing effectiveness based on current literature and participants’ experiences.
About Kaylee…
Kaylee Dyall is a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology student under the supervision of Dr. Stéphanie Gauvin. Her thesis examines the effectiveness of brief self-compassion exercises in improving the psychosocial well-being of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Originally from Newfoundland, Kaylee completed her undergraduate degree at Memorial University, where she gained research experience through her thesis, development of a psychology help centre for students, and attending various academic conferences. Outside of academics, Kaylee has experience working with children as an applied behavioural analysis therapist, tutor, and inclusion counsellor. All of these experiences have motivated her to pursue clinical psychology, with a goal of supporting individuals in her community. In September of 2023, Kaylee moved to Nova Scotia where she has been completing academic courses, practicum training, and her second thesis. As her time at Acadia comes to an end, she plans to remain on the east coast and begin her career as a Clinical Psychologist.