Insecure Striving, Self-Criticism, and Depression: the Prospective Moderating Role of Fear of Compassion from Others (original) (raw)
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Self-criticism has been shown to be a vulnerability factor that can lead to and maintain depression. We examined the moderating effect of fear of receiving compassion from others on the positive association between self-criticism and depression. Self-report measures were administered to four separate samples (total N = 701) varying in age (students and community adults) and cultural context (Canada, England, and Portugal). Two different measures of selfcriticism and of depression were administered to investigate the generalizability of results. Selfcriticism, depression, and fear of compassion from others were positively related to one another in all samples. As predicted, fear of compassion from others exerted a moderating effect on the relationship between self-criticism and depression. Low fear of compassion from others weakened the depressogenic effect of self-criticism, while high fear of compassion from others exacerbated the effect. Thus, a self-critic's ability to be open and responsive to care and support from others protected against depression. The aggregate moderating effect across the four studies was of medium size (d+ = .53) and highly significant, indicating a robust phenomenon.
Self-Criticism and Depressive Symptoms: Mediating Role of Self-Compassion
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying
Self-compassion is gaining recognition as a resilience factor with implications for positive mental health. This study investigated the role of self-compassion in alleviating the effect of self-criticism on depressive symptoms. Participants were 147 urban, low-income African Americans with a recent suicide attempt. They were administered measures of self-criticism, depressive symptoms, and self-compassion. Results from this cross-sectional investigation showed that self-criticism was positively associated with depressive symptoms and negatively associated with self-compassion, and self-compassion was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Bootstrapping analysis revealed that self-compassion mediated the self-criticism–depressive symptoms link, suggesting that self-compassion ameliorates the negative impact of self-criticism on depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that low-income African Americans with recent suicide attempt histories may benefit from interventions that...
2016
Once thought to only be associated with depression, self-criticism is a transdiagnostic risk factor for diverse forms of psychopathology. (1,2) However, research has shown that self-compassion is a robust resilience factor when faced with feelings of personal inadequacy. (3,4) Self-critical individuals experience feelings of unworthiness, inferiority, failure, and guilt. They engage in constant and harsh selfscrutiny and evaluation, and fear being disapproved and criticized and losing the approval and acceptance of others. (5) Self-compassion involves treating oneself with care and concern when confronted with personal inadequacies, mistakes, failures, and painful life situations. (6,7) Although self-criticism is the aspect of perfectionism most associated with maladjustment, (8) one can be harshly self-critical without being a perfectionist. Most studies of self-criticism have not measured shame; however, this self-conscious emotion has been implicated in diverse forms of psychopat...
Fears of Compassion in a Depressed Population Implication for Psychotherapy
Journal of Depression and Anxiety, 2014
Background: While psychological therapies for depression have advanced in the last 20 years, still many people respond only partially and remain vulnerable to relapse. Insight into the limitations of our psychological therapies might be obtained from recent research that has revealed, in nonclinical populations, that some people can be fearful of positive emotions especially affiliative and compassion-focused ones. Aims: This study explores the fears of compassion in a clinical population and their associations with selfcriticism, self-compassion and depression, anxiety and stress. Method: 53 depressed patients completed a series of self-report scales. Results: Fears of compassion, particularly for oneself and from others, were strongly linked to self-criticism, depression, anxiety and stress, and negatively associated with self-compassion and self-reassurance. Conclusions: Since compassion and the affiliative emotions associated with compassion play a fundamental role in emotion regulation, individuals who are blocked or fearful of accessing these emotions are likely to be struggle with emotional regulation and the psychotherapeutic process. Research on the fears of compassion and affiliative emotions suggests these are important therapeutic targets.
Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2013
Self-compassion, involving self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, appears well-suited to soothing feelings of threat following negative events and thereby reducing depressive sequellae. Study 1 found a strong negative association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms in 335 university students and evaluated four markers of threat that potentially mediate this relation. a test of multiple mediation revealed shame as a significant mediator, along with rumination and self-esteem. in Study 2, shame-prone students recalled an experience of shame and then were randomly assigned to (1) write about it self-compassionately, (2) express their feelings about it in writing, or (3) do neither. Participants completed their assigned task three times in one week. immediately after writing, participants in the self-compassion condition reported less state shame and negative affect than those in the expressive writing condition. at two-week follow-up, participants in the self-compassion condition alone showed reductions in shame-proneness (d = .53), and depressive symptoms (d = .49). it appears that self-compassion promotes soothing, "hypo-egoic" (leary, 2012) responses to negative outcomes that reduce threat system activation and depressive symptoms.
The relationship between self-compassion and chronic depression: a cross-sectional clinical study
The Psychologist: Practice & Research Journal, 1(2), 1-13, 2018
Background: At present, depression is the world's most common psychopathology. Self-compassion is a psychological concept that has shown promise regarding its impact on psychopathology. Despite a vast literature studying the relationship between depression and self-compassion, few studies about this association were done in clinical samples. Goals: This study sought to analyze the associations between self-compassion, its dimensions and symptomatology of depression, during and after a therapeutic intervention. Methods: A non-probabilistic sampling method was used. All participants had been diagnosed with persistent depression disorder (dysthymia) and were treated in a residential therapeutic community for a period of six to eight months. The original sample was divided into two groups: during (In-Treatment) and after treatment (one-year Post-Treatment). The assessment protocol was composed of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI II), Self-Compassion Scale (SELFCS) and sociodemographic characterization. Results: The sample was composed of 63 participants, 28 females and 35 males (age: M = 32.84, SD = 10.24). Women presented lower levels of self-kindness and self-compassion (total score), and higher levels of all the negative dimensions of SELFCS. Patients with moderate or severe symptoms of depression indicated a lower total score of self-compassion as well as higher scores in all the negative dimensions; patients having undergone previous treatments showed higher levels of symptomatology of depression. The group assessed after the intervention presented higher levels of self-compassion and lower levels of over-identification, when compared to the group that was assessed still undergoing treatment. Finally, the self-judgment dimension of the SELFCS stands out as a predictor of depression for the total sample and the SELFCS's isolation dimension is a predictor of BDI's scores for the group undergoing treatment. Discussion: Although most of the results are in line with similar findings of the existing literature about the relationship between the studied variables, some were unexpected, and may guide the direction of future studies and the application of these concepts within the clinical context.
Self-compassion as a moderator of the relationship between
Objective: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between rumination, self-reflection and stress and to investigate the role of self-compassion as a moderator of this relationship.Methods: A sample of 275 undergraduate students completed a set of reliable and valid questionnaires including measures of rumination and self-reflection (RRQ), stress (DASS) and selfcompassion (SCS).Results: Using a co-relational design, the study found that rumination had a significant positive association with stress (p = 0.001, r = 0.31) and self-reflection had a significant negative association with stress (p = 0.001, r =-0.47).Moderated multiple regression analysis indicated that self-compassion significantly moderated the link between rumination and stress (∆R 2 = 0.032, p = 0.001) and it also significantly moderated the relationship between self-reflection and stress (∆R 2 =0.041, p = 0.001). The results indicated that sequentially 3.2 % and 4.1 % of the variance in stress could be attributable to moderating role of self-compassion in this relationship.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate an association of rumination and self-reflection with stress and suggest that the association between rumination and self-reflection with stress might be moderated by self-compassion. Overall, the present findings suggest that high levels of self-compassion function to attenuate the link between rumination and stress and also it functions to amplify the relationship between self-reflection and stress.
Mindfulness
Objectives Although research in self-compassion has been rapidly growing, there is still substantial controversy about its meaning and measurement. The controversy centers on Neff’s popular Self- Compassion Scale (SCS) and the argument that compassionate self-responding (CSR) and uncompassionate self-responding (UCS) are a single dimension versus the argument that they are two semi-independent, unipolar dimensions, with UCS not reflective of “true” self-compassion. Methods We review the evidence for both positions and conclude that the data cannot yet resolve the debate. Results Neither position is proven to be right or wrong. We recommend the way forward is to let go of traditional factor analytic approaches and examine self-compassionate behavior as a dynamic network of interacting processes that are influenced by context. This leads us to three classes of testable hypotheses. The link between CS and UCS will depend on the timeframe of measurement, current circumstances, and indiv...
Mindfulness, 2021
Objectives The objectives of this study were to explore whether avoidance and activation mediate the relationship between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. Research investigating these mechanisms may help identify potential intervention targets for preventing depression. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was employed involving 242 non-clinical Australian adults (188 females, 54 males) ranging from 18 to 76 years (M = 24.99, SD = 9.07). Participants completed online Self-Compassion Scale, Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale, Reward Probability Index, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales. Results Avoidance and activation were found to be significant mediators of the relationship between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. This indicates that self-compassion may influence depressive symptoms through the mechanisms suggested to operate in a behavioral model of depression, specifically avoidance and activation. Conclusions These findings linking self-compassion to activation and avoidance with depressive symptoms are promising. Further research with larger, representative, non-clinical and clinical populations, as well as the collection of prospective data, could help establish the causality of these links.