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Exploring the mediating role of self‐blame and coping in the relationships between self‐compassion and distress in females following the sexual assault
Author(s) -
Hamrick Lauren A.,
Owens Gina P.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22730
Subject(s) - disengagement theory , psychology , self compassion , clinical psychology , distress , coping (psychology) , psychological intervention , blame , suicide prevention , poison control , psychiatry , mindfulness , medicine , gerontology , environmental health
Objective The present study investigated the associations between self‐compassion, self‐blame, disengagement coping, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptom severity among females who had experienced sexual assault. We also examined whether the relationships between self‐compassion and both PTSD and depression severity were mediated by self‐blame and coping. Method A volunteer sample of female adults ( N = 207) completed surveys online or on paper. Results Mediational analyses showed that higher self‐compassion was associated with lower behavioral self‐blame, characterological self‐blame (CSB), and disengagement coping which, in turn, were associated with less PTSD. Higher self‐compassion was associated with less depression severity directly and indirectly via CSB. Conclusions These findings suggest that self‐compassion may be relevant for understanding postassault mental health, partially through its associations with self‐blame and coping. Clinicians working with sexual assault survivors may choose to augment treatment‐as‐usual with interventions designed to increase self‐compassion.