Self-compassion and attachment styles: a meta-analysis, and an empirical study of a self-compassion intervention for people living with a skin condition

This thesis comprises of two parts, where both contribute to theoretical and empirical understandings of self-compassion, a psychological construct that encompasses showing kindness and understanding inwards. Self-compassion is growing in importance in applied psychology, where compassion focused therapy is being integrated in clinical practice for multiple populations. The first section is a meta-analytical review that evaluates 37 correlational or cross-sectional studies investigating associations between self-compassion with attachment. The origins of self-compassion have been grounded in attachment theory to explain variations in the ability to show compassion towards oneself. Exposure to different care-giving environments can lead to the formation of alternate attachment styles, which relate to self-compassion differently. The meta-analysis aims to determine the different magnitudes of associations between self-compassion with either secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment, along with identifying variations in these associations across different populations. Three separate meta-analyses were conducted that identified small to medium effect sizes for the associations with the three attachment styles. Associations for avoidant attachment varied by age and population type, whilst both other attachment styles remained stable across populations. The findings may be complementary to the view that self-compassion stems from attachment theory. The findings further support self-compassion interventions as an opportunity to promote psychological adjustment in individuals with insecure attachment styles. Several methodological limitations are considered with recommendations of future research. The second section is an experimental study that investigates if cultivating self-compassion is beneficial for people affected by skin conditions. This study is particularly important because access to psychological support within dermatology services is sparse, despite the high prevalence of psychological distress in this population. The study sought to examine the effects of a brief, online self-compassion intervention on increasing state self-compassion and positive affect and reducing negative affect. In addition, perfectionism and shame were assessed as psychological barriers to cultivate self-compassion. One hundred and twelve adults living with a skin condition participated and were randomly assigned to a self-compassion writing intervention or a control writing condition. Results indicated improvements in self-compassion and positive affect, but not for negative affect, relative to those in the control condition. Neither perfectionism, nor shame affected the self-compassion intervention. The findings confirm brief, self-compassion interventions as feasible therapeutic approaches for this population. However, the longevity of the outcomes from this specific brief intervention are unknown, suggesting the need for future research