| dc.description.abstract | Systematic Literature Review Abstract Objective: Self-compassion is associated with greater well-being and happiness and reduced symptoms of psychological distress. Negative self-compassion such as self-criticism, has the opposite effect. Having higher self-compassion involves the use of a range of emotion regulation strategies, including aspects of cognitive and attentional control. Executive function (EF) describe skills involved in these ‘higher order’ or supervisory cognitive processes such as the ability to shift attention, inhibit automatic responses and use working memory (WM). Research to date has shown that interventions either self-compassion or EF skills can result in improvements to the other. To explore the association between these two variables, this systematic review collated studies that measured the relationship between EF and self-compassion, self-criticism and self-blame. Method: Studies that measured self-compassion, self-criticism or self-blame, and assessed EF skills in adults, were selected from a number of databases, both multidisciplinary and subject-specific, prior to 1st April 2020. The search strategy provided 183 results,128 after duplicates were removed. Full text screening of 39 studies led to the inclusion of seven papers for this review. Results: Results provided partial support for the association of WM with self-criticism, but no confirmed support for the association of self-compassion, self-criticism or self-blame with other aspects of EF. Results were not conclusive due to the lack of quality research. Conclusions: There is scant support at present for the association of levels of self-compassion, self-criticism or self-blame, with EF skills, however there is also little quality support for the lack of a relationship between them. Further research would be needed to address what appears to be a gap in the evidence base.
Keywords: self-compassion, self-criticism, self-blame, executive function, systematic review Empirical Paper Abstract Objective: PTSD is known to cause significant impairments to social interactions and general functioning. It is associated with poor self-image and low levels of self-compassion. Cognitive difficulties associated with the disorder include deficiencies in levels of executive function (EF). Low self-compassion and poor EF skills are suggested to be involved in the maintenance of PTSD. Despite this, little is known about the association between self-compassion and EF, and still less of their combined role in PTSD. To address this gap, the association of trait and state levels of self-compassion, with EF skills was investigated in a population who had experienced traumatic events. Methods: Fifty-two adults (M=33.71 years; SD = 17.01) participated in the study. Of this, 33 met a current diagnosis of PTSD (26 women, 7 men) and 19 had symptoms below the diagnostic threshold (13 women, 6 men). The participants completed measures of trait self-compassion, PTSD symptoms and a self-report EF measure before completing Trails and Stroop tests to assess specific attention switching and inhibition skills. State levels of self-compassion were measured before and after listening to a recording of a self-compassion induction. Results: Findings showed that (1) state levels of self-compassion increased significantly following the induction, but the degree of change was not predictable from the other factors, (2) PTSD symptom severity was predicted independently and significantly by both the trait measure of self-compassion and the self-report measure of EF, furthermore (3) levels of trait self-compassion were associated to, and predicted by, self-report measures of EF. Conclusion: The study did not confirm any factors that could predict change in levels of state self-compassion; however, it demonstrated that PTSD symptoms were associated with both EF and self-compassion, increasing support for interventions to target these areas. In addition, the association of EF skills to levels of self-compassion increases our understanding of the role of cognitive functions in supporting well-being. Keywords: PTSD, self-compassion, executive function | en_GB |
