TY - JOUR
T1 - Fears of compassion magnify the harmful effects of threat of COVID-19 on mental health and social safeness across 21 countries
AU - Matos, Marcela
AU - McEwan, Kirsten
AU - Kanovský, Martin
AU - Halamová, Júlia
AU - Steindl, Stanley R.
AU - Ferreira, Nuno
AU - Linharelhos, Mariana
AU - Rijo, Daniel
AU - Asano, Kenichi
AU - Gregório, Sónia
AU - Márquez, Margarita G.
AU - Vilas, Sara P.
AU - Brito-Pons, Gonzalo
AU - Lucena-Santos, Paola
AU - da Silva Oliveira, Margareth
AU - de Souza, Erika Leonardo
AU - Llobenes, Lorena
AU - Gumiy, Natali
AU - Costa, Maria Ileana
AU - Habib, Noor
AU - Hakem, Reham
AU - Khrad, Hussain
AU - Alzahrani, Ahmad
AU - Cheli, Simone
AU - Petrocchi, Nicola
AU - Tholouli, Elli
AU - Issari, Philia
AU - Simos, Gregoris
AU - Lunding-Gregersen, Vibeke
AU - Elklit, Ask
AU - Kolts, Russell
AU - Kelly, Allison C.
AU - Bortolon, Catherine
AU - Delamillieure, Pascal
AU - Paucsik, Marine
AU - Wahl, Julia E.
AU - Zieba, Mariusz
AU - Zatorski, Mateusz
AU - Komendziński, Tomasz
AU - Zhang, Shuge
AU - Basran, Jaskaran
AU - Kagialis, Antonios
AU - Kirby, James
AU - Gilbert, Paul
N1 - Funding Information:
The overall research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not‐for‐profit sectors. This work was supported by the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC) funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (M.M., Strategic Project UID/PSI/00730/2020). The Slovak arm of this study was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (J.H. & M.K.; Contract no. PP‐COVID‐20‐0074) and the Vedecká grantová agentúra VEGA (J.H.; Grant 1/0075/19). The Canadian arm of the study was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Grant (A.K., ref. 435‐2017‐0062). The Brazilian arm was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (P.L.‐S.; SFRH/BD/130677/2017) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (M.S.O.; Scientific Productivity Grant).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a massive global health crisis with damaging consequences to mental health and social relationships. Exploring factors that may heighten or buffer the risk of mental health problems in this context is thus critical. Whilst compassion may be a protective factor, in contrast fears of compassion increase vulnerability to psychosocial distress and may amplify the impact of the pandemic on mental health. This study explores the magnifying effects of fears of compassion on the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety and stress, and social safeness. Methods: Adult participants from the general population (N = 4057) were recruited across 21 countries worldwide, and completed self-report measures of perceived threat of COVID-19, fears of compassion (for self, from others, for others), depression, anxiety, stress and social safeness. Results: Perceived threat of COVID-19 predicted increased depression, anxiety and stress. The three flows of fears of compassion predicted higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress and lower social safeness. All fears of compassion moderated (heightened) the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on psychological distress. Only fears of compassion from others moderated the effects of likelihood of contracting COVID-19 on social safeness. These effects were consistent across all countries. Conclusions: Fears of compassion have a universal magnifying effect on the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social safeness. Compassion focused interventions and communications could be implemented to reduce resistances to compassion and promote mental wellbeing during and following the pandemic.
AB - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a massive global health crisis with damaging consequences to mental health and social relationships. Exploring factors that may heighten or buffer the risk of mental health problems in this context is thus critical. Whilst compassion may be a protective factor, in contrast fears of compassion increase vulnerability to psychosocial distress and may amplify the impact of the pandemic on mental health. This study explores the magnifying effects of fears of compassion on the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety and stress, and social safeness. Methods: Adult participants from the general population (N = 4057) were recruited across 21 countries worldwide, and completed self-report measures of perceived threat of COVID-19, fears of compassion (for self, from others, for others), depression, anxiety, stress and social safeness. Results: Perceived threat of COVID-19 predicted increased depression, anxiety and stress. The three flows of fears of compassion predicted higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress and lower social safeness. All fears of compassion moderated (heightened) the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on psychological distress. Only fears of compassion from others moderated the effects of likelihood of contracting COVID-19 on social safeness. These effects were consistent across all countries. Conclusions: Fears of compassion have a universal magnifying effect on the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social safeness. Compassion focused interventions and communications could be implemented to reduce resistances to compassion and promote mental wellbeing during and following the pandemic.
KW - COVID-19 pandemic
KW - fears of compassion
KW - mental health
KW - moderator effect
KW - multinational study
KW - social safeness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105780788&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/cpp.2601
DO - 10.1002/cpp.2601
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105780788
SN - 1063-3995
JO - Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
JF - Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
ER -
