Fear of compassion is associated with treatment ambivalence and negative expectations for treatment in people with anxiety
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Date
2021-06-12
Authors
Merritt, Olivia
Purdon, Christine
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
British Psychological Society
Abstract
Objectives. Fears of compassion are hypothesized to be associated with treatment attitudes, but this relationship has not yet been explored. Methods. Measures of fear of compassion and treatment expectations and ambivalence were administered to those with above-average anxiety (N = 302) and those who met criteria for an anxiety or related disorder (N = 40). Results. In those with anxiety disorders, fear of receiving compassion and fear of self-compassion were strongly correlated with treatment ambivalence. In both samples, higher fear of receiving compassion was associated with more negative expectations for treatment. Conclusions. Fear of compassion is associated with treatment ambivalence and treatment expectations and may be an important target early in treatment. Practitioner Points. Fears of receiving compassion and self-compassion were related to treatment ambivalence and negative treatment expectations. There may be benefit in targeting fear of compassion early in treatment.
Description
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Merritt, O.A., & Purdon, C. (2021). Fear of compassion is associated with treatment ambivalence and negative expectations for treatment in people with anxiety. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60(4), 546-555, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12313. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions
Keywords
anxiety/anxiety disorder, fear of compassion, treatment ambivalence, treatment expectations, self-compassion, compassion