Relationships between insecure attachment, mediators and depression

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of self-compassion, self-criticism and brooding as mediators between insecure attachment and depression in a multimediational model. Additional aims were to investigate whether self-compassion and self-criticism were independent predictors of depression and whether self compassion could protect against depression through reducing self-criticism and brooding.
Three hundred and fifty six participants selected through convenience sampling completed measures of attachment, self-criticism, self-compassion, brooding and depression as part of an online survey. Multiple regression showed self-criticism and self-compassion independently predicted depression. Multimediational analysis found that the relationship between anxious attachment and depression was fully mediated by self-criticism, brooding and self compassion. The relationship between avoidant attachment and depression was partially mediated by hated self-criticism and brooding. Hated self-criticism and brooding partially mediated between self-compassion and depression.
This study linked the related areas of self-compassion and attachment, the findings add to evidence supporting the potential value of compassion-focused therapies and further clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.