Adaptive emotion regulation mediates the relationship between self-compassion and depression in individuals with unipolar depression.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Adaptive emotion regulation mediates the relationship between self-compassion and depression in individuals with unipolar depression.
Authors: Diedrich, Alice, Burger, Julian, Kirchner, Mareike, Berking, Matthias
Source: Psychology & Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice. Sep2017, Vol. 90 Issue 3, p247-263. 17p. 2 Diagrams, 3 Charts.
Subjects: Adaptability (Personality), Mental depression, Emotions, Questionnaires, Compassion, Well-being
Abstract: Objectives To identify the mechanisms involved in the association between self-compassion and depression, we examined whether adaptive emotion regulation would mediate the relationship between self-compassion and depression in individuals with unipolar depression. Furthermore, we explored which specific emotion regulation skills would be most important in this relationship. Design and method Sixty-nine individuals with unipolar depression were assessed with the Self-Compassion Scale and the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire at baseline and with the Beck Depression Inventory- II 1 week later. Results The results showed that successful application of emotion regulation skills mediates the association between self-compassion and depression. Among eight specific emotion regulation skills, only the ability to tolerate negative emotions was identified as a significant mediator in the self-compassion-depression relationship. Conclusions These findings provide preliminary evidence that systematically fostering self-compassion might help depressed individuals cope with their symptoms by enhancing their abilities to tolerate undesired emotions. Practitioner points Systematically fostering self-compassion through specific compassion-focused interventions might facilitate a reduction in depressive symptoms by improving the person's emotion regulation abilities, especially by improving his or her ability to tolerate negative emotions., Hence, compassion-focused interventions might be particularly promising in depressed patients with a tendency to avoid negative emotions and deficits in tolerating them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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