Institute of Psychology.
J Couns Psychol. 2018 Jul;65(4):453-462. doi: 10.1037/cou0000275. Epub 2018 Jun 21.
Firefighters are frequently exposed to highly stressful, potentially traumatic events (PTEs). More than 50%, however, show no significant elevation in trauma-related symptomatology (e.g., depression). In the past, self-compassion has been discussed to promote psychological and behavioral flexibility that is vital to a successful adaptation to PTEs. The goal of this study was to understand whether and how self-compassion may alleviate personal suffering in the face of PTEs. We hypothesized that individuals who encounter their profession-related affective experiences with greater self-compassion, show lower levels of depressive symptoms because self-compassion buffers processes that perpetuate negative affectivity in response to PTEs (i.e., self-critical tendencies). Male firefighters ( = 123) completed self-report questionnaires about the severity of current depressive symptoms; prior traumatic, duty-related events; and the self-compassion scale that assesses two distinct factors: self-criticism and self-compassion. A stepwise regression model was employed to examine differential and interactive contributions of self-criticism and self-compassion to symptoms of depression across the cumulative range of exposure to PTEs. Our results indicate that the positive association between self-criticism and depression is buffered by enhanced levels of self-compassion. This moderation, however, only emerged for firefighters with substantial amounts of PTEs experience in the past. The present work provides insight into protective effects of self-compassion in the face of cumulative PTEs. It suggests that, particularly for severely trauma-exposed firefighters, self-compassion may confer resilience, that is, act as a protective factor from the development of depressive symptoms. Findings are discussed in light of counseling implications. (PsycINFO Database Record
消防员经常面临高度紧张、潜在创伤的事件（PTE）。然而，超过 50%的人没有表现出明显的创伤相关症状升高（例如抑郁）。过去，自我同情被认为可以促进心理和行为的灵活性，这对于成功适应 PTE 至关重要。本研究的目的是了解自我同情是否以及如何减轻面对 PTE 时的个人痛苦。我们假设，那些对职业相关情感体验更有自我同情的人，抑郁症状水平较低，因为自我同情缓冲了在面对 PTE 时持续产生负面情感的过程（即自我批判倾向）。男性消防员（n=123）完成了关于当前抑郁症状严重程度、以前的创伤性、与职责相关的事件以及自我同情量表的自我报告问卷，该量表评估了两个不同的因素：自我批判和自我同情。采用逐步回归模型来检验自我批判和自我同情对抑郁症状的差异和交互贡献，这些症状在 PTE 暴露的累积范围内。我们的结果表明，自我批判与抑郁之间的正相关关系被自我同情的增强所缓冲。然而，这种调节作用仅在过去经历过大量 PTE 的消防员中出现。本研究为自我同情在面对累积性 PTE 时的保护作用提供了新的认识。它表明，对于严重创伤暴露的消防员来说，自我同情可能会产生韧性，即作为预防抑郁症状发展的保护因素。研究结果结合咨询意义进行了讨论。
