Abstract
BackgroundDispositional mindfulness and self-compassion are shown to associate with less self-reported emotional distress. However, previous studies have indicated that dispositional self-compassion may be an even more important buffer against such distress than dispositional mindfulness. To our knowledge, no study has yet disentangled the relationship between dispositional self-compassion and mindfulness and level of psychophysiological flexibility as measured with vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV). The aim was thus to provide a first exploratory effort to expand previous research relying on self-report measures by including a psychophysiological measure indicative of emotional stress reactivity.MethodsFifty-three university students filled out the “Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire” (FFMQ) and the “Self-Compassion Scale” (SCS), and their heart rate was measured during a 5 min resting electrocardiogram. Linear hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the common and unique variance explained by the total scores of the FFMQ and the SCS on level of resting vmHRV.ResultsHigher SCS total scores associated significantly with higher levels of vmHRV also when controlling for the FFMQ total scores. The SCS uniquely explained 7% of the vmHRV. The FFMQ total scores did not associate with level of vmHRV.ConclusionThese results offer preliminary support that dispositional self-compassion associates with better psychophysiological regulation of emotional arousal above and beyond mindfulness.
Highlights
How we relate to our experiences and ourselves when dealing with difficult emotions is important for our psychological health (Gross and Munoz, 1995)
Self-compassion focuses more exclusively on suffering, and more explicitly emphasizes kindness for the self (Neff and Dahm, 2015). This could capture a distinct dimension of human experience that can be meaningfully separated from mindfulness, and that may be important for dealing with challenging emotions
We found as previous research relying on self-report measures of emotional distress (e.g., Van Dam et al, 2011; Woodruff et al, 2014) that the total scores of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) explained more variance than the total scores of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) on self-report measures of anxiety and negative rumination
Summary
How we relate to our experiences and ourselves when dealing with difficult emotions is important for our psychological health (Gross and Munoz, 1995). Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, and Heart-Rate Variability being mindful to one’s own suffering together with the active wish to alleviate it and relate to oneself with a kind and caring attitude (Neff, 2003b) It is described as a positive mental capacity especially important for the health promoting outcomes associated with mindfulness-based interventions (Van Dam et al, 2011) in mediating decreased levels of symptoms of depression (Kuyken et al, 2010) and stress responses (Shapiro et al, 2005). Self-compassion focuses more exclusively on suffering, and more explicitly emphasizes kindness for the self (Neff and Dahm, 2015) This could capture a distinct dimension of human experience that can be meaningfully separated from mindfulness, and that may be important for dealing with challenging emotions. The aim was to provide a first exploratory effort to expand previous research relying on self-report measures by including a psychophysiological measure indicative of emotional stress reactivity
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