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The Social Self-Compassion Scale (SSCS): Support for a Multi- Domain View of the Self-Compassion Construct and Its Relevance to Anxiety

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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University Scholars Commons @ Laurier Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) 2017 The Social Self-Compassion Scale (SSCS): Support for a Multi- Domain View of the Self-Compassion Construct and its Relevance to Anxiety Alison Flett [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd Part of the Personality and Social Contexts Commons, and the Social Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Flett, Alison, "The Social Self-Compassion Scale (SSCS): Support for a Multi-Domain View of the Self- Compassion Construct and its Relevance to Anxiety" (2017). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1946. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1946 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SOCIAL SELF-COMPASION SCALE (SSCS): SUPPORT FOR A MULTI-DOMAIN VIEW OF THE SELF-COMPASSION CONSTRUCT AND ITS RELEVANCE TO ANXIETY by Alison L. Flett Hons. B.A., Carleton University, 2014 THESIS Submitted to the Department of Psychology/Faculty of Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Master of Arts in Social Psychology Wilfrid Laurier University © Alison L. Flett, 2017 Abstract Self-compassion refers to the tendency to be kind and understanding towards oneself in times of failure rather than responding to such situations with harsh self-criticism. There is reason to believe on the basis of existing research that self-compassion is particularly relevant within the social domain. As such, this thesis is focused on describing and evaluating the Social Self-Compassion Scale (SSCS), which was developed for the purposes of this research and measures the degree to which individuals tend to be kind and understanding towards themselves when confronted with social adversity. This thesis begins by describing Studies 1 through 3, which were online self-report studies that tested the psychometric properties of the scale using large samples of at least 200 participants. The SSCS related to a variety of outcomes as expected, and was predictive of measures beyond the general self-compassion scale such as social anxiety, perceived social self- efficacy and mattering. To expand on this research, Study 4 further evaluated the reliability and validity of the SSCS and attempted to temporarily induce self-compassion in a social context as well as affect among participants (N = 91). This final study also examined levels of self-improvement motivation and implicit beliefs related to the capacity to improve upon and change past social mistakes. As anticipated, those in the social self-compassion condition in Study 4 reported significantly higher levels of positive affect, although no differences emerged with respect to negative affect or subjective distress. In addition, those in the social self-compassion condition reported a greater endorsement of incremental beliefs regarding the ability to change social qualities as compared to both the self-esteem and control conditions. Additionally, in partial support of the initial hypothesis, both those in the social self-compassion condition and i the control condition reported higher self-improvement motivation regarding desire and willingness to change in the future. Implications of findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. ii Acknowledgements I wish to thank my supervisor Dr. Nancy Kocovski for her ongoing support and comments throughout the duration of this project. I would also like to express my gratitude to each of my committee members, for their interest in my research and the thought-provoking questions and discussions they provided. Most of all, thank you to my parents for all of their steadfast support along the way. Special thanks to my Dad, who is always willing to discuss all things psychology with me, and who inspires me to grow as a researcher. Thanks also go to my fiancé Jeremy and our two dogs, as well as the rest of my family and friends for their love and encouragement during the thesis process. iii Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………i Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………iii Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………...iv List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………...v List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………....vii Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….1 Method Studies 1 through 3……………………………………………………………..21 Results Studies 1 through 3……………………………………………………………...30 Discussion Studies 1 through 3………………………………………………………….47 Method Study 4………………………………………………………………………….58 Results Study 4…………………………………………………………………………..66 Discussion Study 4 ………………………………………………………………………72 Overall Discussion……………………………………………………………………….78 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………….83 References………………………………………………………………………………142 iv List of Tables Table 1. Study 1 Measures and Scale Descriptions…………………………………27 Table 2. Study 2 Measures and Scale Descriptions.………………………………..28 Table 3. Study 3 Measures and Scale Descriptions………………………………...29 Table 4. Study 1 Factor Loadings for the SSCS…………………………………….34 Table 5. Study 2 Factor Loadings for the SSCS…………………………………….35 Table 6. Study 3 Factor Loadings for the SSCS…………………………………….37 Table 7. Descriptive statistics for Study 1 including Pearson correlation coefficients…………………………………………………………………….39 Table 8. Descriptive statistics for Study 1: Negative and positive subscales of the SSCS…………………………………………………………………………….40 Table 9. Study 1 regression with SCS and SSCS predicting social anxiety………40 Table 10. Study 1 regression with SCS and SSCS predicting perceived social self- efficacy…………………………………………………………………………..41 Table 11. Descriptive statistics for Study 2 including Pearson correlation coefficients …………………………………………………………………………..42 Table 12. Descriptive statistics for Study 2: Negative and positive subscales of the SSCS………………………………………………………………………………43 Table 13. Regression for Study 2 with SCS and SSCS predicting fear of negative evaluation…………………………………………………………………………43 Table 14. Regression for Study 2 with SCS and SSCS predicting shame………….....44 Table 15. Descriptive statistics for Study 3 including Pearson correlation coefficients…………………………………………………………………45 v Table 16. Descriptive statistics for Study 3: Negative and positive subscales of the SSCS…………………………………………………………………………….46 Table 17. Regression for Study 3 with SCS and SSCS predicting mattering…….....47 Table 18. Regression for Study 3 with SCS and SSCS predicting psychological well- being……………………………………………………………………………..47 Table 19. Study Four Participants’ Descriptive Statistics for Demographic Variables…………………………………………………………………59 Table 20. Baseline Levels of Pre-measures Occurring Before the Experimental Manipulation……………………………………………………………………..67 Table 21. Comparing SCS and SSCS Pre-measure Correlations……………………..68 Table 22. Descriptive Statistics of Outcome Measures After Experimental Manipulation……………………………………………………………………...71 vi List of Figures Figure 1. SSCS Scree Plot Indicating a Two-Factor Solution for Study One……….33 Figure 2. SSCS Scree Plot Indicating a Two-Factor Solution for Study Two……....35 Figure 3. SSCS Scree Plot Indicating a Two-Factor Solution for Study Three…….36 vii SOCIAL SELF-COMPASSION 1 The Social Self-Compassion Scale (SSCS): Support for a Multi-Domain View of the Self-Compassion Construct and its Relevance to Anxiety Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by an excessive and irrational fear of scrutiny and negative evaluation from others in social and/or performance contexts. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), those with SAD exhibit strong inclinations to avoid supposedly dangerous social situations, and intense levels of discomfort and distress when escape from such situations is not possible. As such, this disorder is oftentimes debilitating and markedly impairs functioning in many facets of life, including work and social domains. It is not that people with SAD do not want social contact, but their fear of interacting with others prevents this from happening, and thus puts them at risk for social isolation (Coupland, 2001; Liebowitz, 1999). Although SAD is one of the most prevalent mental disorders, a minority of those with the disorder obtains adequate treatment (McEvoy, Grove, & Slade, 2011; Weiller, Bisserbe, Boyer, Lepine, & Lecrubier, 1996). In part, this is due to the fact that according to the World Mental Health Survey, only 20.8% of individuals with SAD report seeking professional help (Ormel et al., 2011). Some common barriers to help seeking among those with social anxiety include poor mental health literacy, stigma, a belief in self-reliance, low levels of accessibility to treatment, and inadequate provider recognition of the disorder (Griffiths, 2013). Of course, ensuring that those with SAD receive proper treatment is of the utmost importance. However, self-compassion, which entails being caring and kind to oneself, may be a useful emotional regulation strategy that individuals can use in lieu of more intensive treatment, given the many barriers to help seeking. Self-compassion is an SOCIAL SELF-COMPASSION 2 accessible approach that those with SAD can utilize to counteract against self-critical thoughts and feelings that are often
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