Psychology Department, University of Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Br J Clin Psychol. 2020 Sep;59(3):354-368. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12250. Epub 2020 May 4.
Fear of receiving compassion from others, expressing compassion to others, and being compassionate towards oneself have been identified as potentially important factors in the persistence of depression, stress disorders, and eating disorders. There is good reason to expect that these fears may play a role in anxiety and related difficulties, but there is little available information on the extent to which they are present and associated with symptom severity.
This study compared the severity of the three fears of compassion (receiving, expressing to others, and showing to oneself) in those with a principal diagnosis of depression (n = 34), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n = 27), social anxiety disorder (SAD; n = 91), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD, n = 43), and a control sample with no mental health difficulties (n = 212).
Those with depression, OCD, SAD, and GAD exhibited greater fear of receiving compassion and fear of self-compassion than controls, and the differences between anxious and control groups remained significant even when controlling for depressed mood. Whereas fears of compassion did not predict symptom severity over and above depressed mood in people with GAD, fear of receiving compassion uniquely predicted SAD symptom severity, and fear of expressing compassion for others uniquely predicted OCD symptom severity in those high on fear of self-compassion.
Fear of compassion is higher in those with anxiety and related disorders than non-anxious controls. Although further research is needed, clinicians may benefit from assessing fear of compassion and addressing it in treatment.
Those with anxiety and related disorders may fear receiving compassion from others or expressing compassion for themselves, even when controlling for depression. It may be informative to assess for fear of compassion and incorporate discussions about these fears into treatment, as these fears may interfere with treatment progress.
从他人那里得到同情的恐惧、向他人表达同情和对自己有同情心已被确定为抑郁、压力障碍和饮食障碍持续存在的潜在重要因素。有充分的理由期望这些恐惧可能在焦虑和相关困难中发挥作用，但关于它们的存在程度以及与症状严重程度的关系的信息很少。
本研究比较了有主要诊断为抑郁症（n=34）、强迫症（OCD；n=27）、社交焦虑症（SAD；n=91）、广泛性焦虑症（GAD，n=43）和无心理健康困难的对照组（n=212）的个体在三种同情恐惧（接受、向他人表达和自我表达）的严重程度。
患有抑郁症、强迫症、社交焦虑症和广泛性焦虑症的患者比对照组更害怕接受同情和自我同情，即使控制了抑郁情绪，焦虑组和对照组之间的差异仍然显著。虽然在 GAD 患者中，同情恐惧并不能预测症状严重程度，但在那些自我同情恐惧较高的患者中，对接受同情的恐惧可以预测 SAD 症状的严重程度，而对向他人表达同情的恐惧可以预测 OCD 症状的严重程度。
焦虑和相关障碍患者的同情恐惧程度高于非焦虑对照组。尽管需要进一步研究，但临床医生可能会受益于评估同情恐惧并在治疗中解决它。
焦虑和相关障碍患者可能会害怕从他人那里得到同情或向自己表达同情，即使控制了抑郁。评估恐惧和将这些恐惧纳入治疗中可能会很有帮助，因为这些恐惧可能会干扰治疗进展。
