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

• Published in: Autism : the international journal of research and practice 2021-02, Vol.25 (2), p.502-515
• Main Authors: Galvin, John, Howes, Abby, McCarthy, Bethany, Richards, Gareth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Anxiety disorders; Autism; Bootstrap method; College students; Correlation; Depression (Psychology); Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Health status; Intervention; Kindness; Males; Men; Mental depression; Mental health; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Questionnaires; Self compassion; Self Management; Sympathy; Symptoms; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Undergraduate Students
• ISSN: 1362-3613; 1461-7005
• DOI: 10.1177/1362361320966853

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 and 95 females) ranging in age from 18 to 51 years (mean = 23.16, standard deviation = 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 was 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. Lay Abstract In this study, we asked 164 undergraduate students to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire measured the students’ levels of autistic traits, self-compassion, and experience of anxiety and depression. We were interested in knowing if self-compassion (defined as the extension of kindness to oneself when faced with challenges) had any influence on the relationship between autistic traits and experiences of anxiety and depression. The results of the study indicated that self-compassion may be an important factor influencing the relationship between autistic traits and mental health, with higher levels of self-compassion being related to more positive mental health outcomes. Although the findings should be considered preliminary in nature, they do suggest that self-compassion could potentially be a target for clinical intervention in people with elevated autistic traits and experience anxiety and/or depression.