Self-Compassion as a Moderator in the Relationship between Shame-Proneness and State Shame for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Childhood sexual abuse is a prevalent problem that has significant implications for psychological wellness and personal health. Childhood sexual abuse is related to a variety of negative outcomes, including the presence of shame-proneness. Consequently, shame-proneness is significantly related to heightened feelings of shame in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. One might assume that self-compassion will decrease state shame for shame-prone survivors of sexual abuse; however, this might only be true when the total score of the Self-Compassion Scale is utilized. When the subscales are examined separately, the negative subscales could exacerbate the presence of state shame in shame-prone survivors of childhood sexual abuse, rather than decrease it. The intended study is a quantitative research design; participants will be gathered through an online survey via Mechanical Turk. Psychometric measures will include The Childhood Sexual Abuse Questionnaire, The Test of Self-Conscious Affect, The Self-Compassion Scale, and The Experience of Shame Scale. Overall, the study holds significant implications for counseling research and treatment implementation