(PS2-A19) State and Trait Social Anxiety as Predictors of Fear of Self-compassion

Fear of compassion, encompassing expressions to others, reception from others, and self-compassion, has been identified as a factor linked to the persistence of depression, with documented associations to the severity of social anxiety (Merritt & Purdon, 2020). Despite this, there is limited research exploring the connection between experiences of social anxiety and fear of self-compassion. This study aimed to investigate whether levels of trait and state social anxiety predict fear of self-compassion in social situations, surpassing the influence of trait and state self-compassion and depression. A sample of university students (N = 323) was randomly assigned to recall a distressing social situation, either with or without self-compassion guidance, and then asked to imagine a similar future scenario, reporting their fear of self-compassion. Hierarchical linear regression was employed to analyze predictors of fear of self-compassion.

Consistent with prior research, the first step revealed that trait self-compassion, state self-compassion, and depression were significant predictors of fear of self-compassion, explaining 32% of the variance, F(3, 319) = 51.55, p < .001. Hypotheses were partially supported, as trait and state social anxiety accounted for additional variance, but the condition (dummy coded) was not a significant predictor. In subsequent steps, trait social anxiety in step two, DF(3, 317) = 3.57, p = .03, and state anxiety, distress, and negative affect in step three, DF(3, 314) = 17.46, p < .001, predicted additional variance. In the final model, self-compassion aspects, depression, trait social anxiety, state anxiety, distress, and negative affect were all significant predictors of fear of self-compassion, accounting for 42% of the variance.

Overall, participants' reported fear of self-compassion in potential future situations was associated not only with habitual levels of social anxiety and self-compassion but also with the anxiety they experienced in those situations. These results extend recent findings linking fear of self-compassion to treatment ambivalence and negative treatment expectations (Merritt & Purdon, 2021), highlighting its potential relevance in addressing social anxiety during treatment, especially in more anxiety-provoking situations.