A Preliminary Investigation Into the Relationship Between Autistic Traits and Self-Compassion

Bibliographic Data

ID13660648
AuthorsAbby Howes (0000-0002-5619-3089, Birmingham City University), Gareth Richards (0000-0003-0233-0153, School of Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK; Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK), James Galvin (0000-0003-4526-7529, Birmingham City University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume124
Issue5
Pages1988-1997
Publication date2020-09-09
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychological Reports (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0033294120957244
PMID32903137
OpenAlexW3082193812
LanguageEN
References cited19

Self-compassion refers to the extension of kindness to oneself when faced with feelings of inadequacies, shortcomings or failures. It is possible that individuals high in autistic traits may encounter difficulties with self-compassion, and this could be particularly pronounced due to the social challenges they might face. To explore this potential relationship, we recruited university students and members of the general population to an online survey (n = 176). Participants completed measures on demographics, autistic traits, and self-compassion. We found that autistic traits were indeed negatively correlated with self-compassion in both males and females. Interestingly, a comparison of the slopes showed significantly stronger relationships in males compared to females for the negative (but not the positive) subscales of the self-compassion scale. Although speculative at this point, it is possible that self-compassion acts as a mediator between autistic traits and psychopathology. With this in mind, further work is warranted to determine whether self-compassion could be a target for therapeutic intervention

Autism · Autistic traits · Compassion · Demographics · Developmental psychology · Feeling · Intervention (counseling · Mindfulness · Population · Psychiatry · Psychopathology · Self-compassion · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Demography · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions · Psychology · Social Psychology

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