title: The relationship of self-compassion and depression: Cross-lagged panel analyses in depressed patients after outpatient therapy.
abstract: Previous cross-sectional studies suggest that self-compassion and depressive symptoms are consistently negatively associated. Although it is often implicitly assumed that (a lack of) self-compassion precedes depressive symptoms, so far no study has tested whether (lack of) self-compassion is a cause or a consequence of depressive symptoms, or both.
  
  
  
  To examine such reciprocal effects, we used data of 125 depressed outpatients after a time limited cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. We assessed self-compassion and depressive symptoms via self-report measures and the presence of a major depressive episode directly after therapy, as well as 6 and 12 months later.
  
  
  
  Cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that (lack of) self-compassion significantly predicted subsequent depressive symptoms while controlling for autoregressive effects, whereas depressive symptoms did not predict subsequent levels of self-compassion. This was also the case for the relationship between self-compassion and the presence of a major depressive episode. The same patterns also occurred when we separately tested the reciprocal effects for two composite sub-measures of either positive or negative facets of self-compassion.
  
  
  
  Causality cannot be inferred from our results. Depressive symptoms and self-compassion could still be causally unrelated, and a third variable could account for their negative association.
  
  
  
  These findings support the notions that (a lack of) self-compassion could serve as a vulnerability factor for depression and that cultivating self-compassion may deserve a focus in depression prevention programs or treatments.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: tobias.krieger@psy.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Bern University Hospital, Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin Grosse
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Holtforth
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept
keywords: Cross-lagged panel analysis; Depression; Depressive symptoms; Longitudinal design; Self-compassion