Term of Award
Winter 2017
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Psychology
Committee Chair
Jeff Klibert
Committee Member 1
Thresa Yancey
Committee Member 2
Ty Boyer
Abstract
Research has noted an upward trend in the rates of depression and anxiety disorders reported by college-attending emerging adults (American College Health Association, 2014; Mahmoud, Staten, Hall, & Lennie, 2012). Early traumatic experiences are one factor which may have a unique contribution to the development of social anxiety and depression symptoms in emerging adults (Spinhoven et al., 2010). However, these relationships may be explained by positive psychological resources like self-compassion. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediated effects of self-compassion on the relationships between recalled frequency of teasing in late childhood and adolescence and self-reports of current depression and social anxiety symptoms. Participants in this cross-sectional, correlational study included 312 undergraduate students who anonymously completed a series of online measures. As supported by past research, results suggest teasing frequency was directly associated with depression and social anxiety symptoms. Additionally, results indicated self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between teasing frequency and symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Clinical implications for these findings are discussed in the context of positive psychological interventions.
Recommended Citation
Barfield, L. A. (2017). Retrospective reports of teasing and emotional distress: Examining the mediating effects of self-compassion. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia.
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
