Although adults with acne vulgaris suffer from various psychological difficulties, limited therapeutic research has been conducted on this topic. This study examined the effect of self-compassion writing on self-discrepancy, social anxiety, and skin-related quality of life in these adults.

A total of 46 adults were assigned to one of three groups: self-compassion writing group (n=16), distraction writing group (n=15), and control group (n=15). Treatment included 20 minutes of writing in 6 sessions conducted over two weeks. A follow-up test was conducted two weeks after the post-test.

The results indicated that the self-compassion writing group showed a significant decrease in self-discrepancy and social anxiety and a borderline significant increase in skin-related quality of life as compared to the control group.

Based on the results of this study, self-compassion writing could be an effective self-instructional intervention for adults with acne vulgaris. The limitations and suggestions for further studies have been discussed in this study.