Self-compassion as a mediator of the association between autistic traits and depressive/anxious symptomatology

Galvin, John and Howes, Abby and McCarthy, Bethany and Richards, Gareth (2020) Self-compassion as a mediator of the association between autistic traits and depressive/anxious symptomatology. Autism. ISSN 1362-3613

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Abstract

Self-compassion refers to the extension of kindness to oneself when faced with inadequacies, shortcomings or failures. This study examined the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between autistic traits and depressive/anxious symptomatology in the general population. Participants included 164 university students (69 males, 95 females) ranging in age from 18 to 51 years (M = 23.16, SD = 7.81). Participants completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A series of multiple mediation analyses were conducted using the bootstrapping method, and it was found that Total Self-Compassion and the two subscales of Compassionate Self-Responding and Uncompassionate Self-Responding partially mediated the relationship between autistic traits and anxious/depressive symptoms. The indirect effect of self-compassion accounted for 41.9% of the variance in the relationship between autistic traits and depressive symptoms and 50% of the variance in the relationship between autistic traits and anxiety symptoms. It was also further found that the correlation between autistic traits and self-compassion was significantly stronger in males than females. Although preliminary, the current findings suggest that self-compassion could potentially serve as a target for clinical intervention in individuals with elevated autistic traits who experience anxiety and/or depression.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1177/1362361320966853
Dates:	Date Event 22 September 2020 Accepted 26 October 2020 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Autistic traits; self-compassion; anxiety; depression; autistic spectrum conditions;autistic spectrum disorders
Subjects:	CAH04 - psychology > CAH04-01 - psychology > CAH04-01-01 - psychology (non-specific)
Divisions:	Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > College of Psychology
Depositing User:	John Galvin
Date Deposited:	29 Sep 2020 12:37
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2024 13:03
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/9973

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