Exploring the potential moderating role of self‐compassion on the relationships between event centrality and post‐assault psychological outcomes

Abstract

Objective: The present study examined whether post-assault internal processes (i.e., present control, event centrality, and compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding) were associated with distress and resilience among women who have experienced adult sexual assault. The authors also tested whether compassionate and uncompassionate self-responses would moderate the relationships between event centrality and outcomes. Method: A convenience sample of women who had experienced sexual assault during adulthood (N = 253) completed an anonymous online survey. Results: Regression analyses showed that lower present control, higher event centrality, and higher uncompassionate responses to the self were associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. Additionally, higher present control and higher compassionate responses to the self were associated with resilience. Moderation analyses were not significant. Conclusions: Endorsing greater levels of uncompassionate responses was associated with greater distress while engaging in greater compassionate responses was associated with greater resilience, even when accounting for levels of present control and event centrality.

A self-compassion expressive writing intervention for sexual victimization stigma.

“…The premise of our study was that self-compassion would be a worthwhile target for therapeutic intervention in survivors of SV. A multiple mediation path model of responses taken at “baseline” provided support for this premise and replicated previous research by showing that high trait self-compassion in SV survivors is associated with lower psychological distress (Hamrick & Owens, 2021; McAllister & Vennum, 2022), lower PTSD (e.g., Bhuptani & Messman, 2022; Hamrick & Owens, 2019), and higher personal well-being. These associations were substantial in magnitude, “explaining” between one quarter to one third of the variance in the measures of psychological functioning.…”

“…This may take the form of encouraging survivors to strive toward recovery by setting realistic and meaningful goals and discouraging self-sabotaging criticisms of efforts made toward achieving these goals (Terry & Leary, 2011). Although there is comparatively little research in the area, there are some cross-sectional studies showing a positive association between self-compassion and coping self-efficacy following exposure to trauma, including SV (Hamrick & Owens, 2021). Furthermore, greater self-compassion in trauma survivors has been associated with higher levels of active problem-focused coping (Munroe et al, 2022) and lower levels of avoidant coping (Hamrick & Owens, 2019).…”

Event centrality and conflict-related sexual violence: A new application of the Centrality of Event Scale (CES)

“…The authors’ analyses revealed that high CES scores positively correlated with PTSD and severity of depression symptoms (and negatively correlated with self-esteem), leading them to conclude that high event centrality creates an increased risk for PTSD (Robinaugh and McNally, 2011: 486). Hamrick and Owens’ (2021: 166) research, based on a convenience sample of female sexual assault survivors ( N = 253), also found positive correlations between event centrality and PTSD. Their study further established that even when the women showed higher levels of self-compassion, this did not alter the relationship between event centrality and distress.…”

“…Their study further established that even when the women showed higher levels of self-compassion, this did not alter the relationship between event centrality and distress. According to the authors, ‘It is possible that behaving in a compassionate manner towards the self is not strong enough to buffer against negative outcomes once a sexual assault experience has become highly centralized in one’s identity’ (Hamrick and Owens, 2021: 167).…”

“…5 There are some exceptions, but these studies typically address resilience alongside PTSD and/or PTG and other psychological outcomes (e.g. Bakaitytė et al, 2021; Hamrick and Owens, 2021; Tranter et al, 2021; Wolfe and Ray, 2015).…”