Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to Self
There is growing interest in psychological processes that might be targeted in treatments for bipolar disorder (BD). One such process is a vulnerability at the level of self-concept, characterized by presence of, and fluctuations between positive and negative self-concept. The aim of the present stu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01848/full |
| _version_ | 1811192975890317312 |
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| author | Yan Yang Kathryn Fletcher Richard Whitehead Greg Murray |
| author_facet | Yan Yang Kathryn Fletcher Richard Whitehead Greg Murray |
| author_sort | Yan Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is growing interest in psychological processes that might be targeted in treatments for bipolar disorder (BD). One such process is a vulnerability at the level of self-concept, characterized by presence of, and fluctuations between positive and negative self-concept. The aim of the present study was to advance this literature by investigating the role of two emerging meta-cognitive processes – self-compassion and nonattachment to self – which have potential to therapeutically modulate this unstable self-concept in BD. Using an analog design, it was hypothesized that both variables would mediate the relationship between bipolar tendencies and psychological distress in a general population sample. Participants (N = 372 Australian university students) completed self-report measures of manic and depressive tendencies, self-compassion, nonattachment to self and psychological distress. To investigate the specificity of the two hypothesized mediators, a better-researched psychological variable – rumination – was also included in mediation analyses. Bivariate analyses found tendencies toward mania and depression to be associated with diminished self-compassion and nonattachment to self, while both psychological processes were negatively associated with psychological distress. Mediation analyses showed, as expected, self-compassion and nonattachment to self mediated the relationship between bipolar tendencies and psychological distress after controlling for the effects of rumination. The present findings add incrementally to this literature by demonstrating that two meta-cognitive processes – self-compassion and nonattachment to self – act as mediators, and may be modifiable mechanisms linking bipolar vulnerability to negative mood outcomes. Future research should tackle longstanding conceptual issues in this domain, including the relationship between contents of self-concept (an established focus of BD research) and the person’s meta-cognitive approach to their self-concept (the focus here). |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:00:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9878ab3164c746838555add8e14d5bd0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:00:53Z |
| publishDate | 2018-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-9878ab3164c746838555add8e14d5bd02022-12-22T03:56:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782018-09-01910.3389/fpsyg.2018.01848354305Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to SelfYan Yang0Kathryn Fletcher1Richard Whitehead2Greg Murray3Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, AustraliaCentre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, AustraliaDepartment of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, AustraliaCentre for Mental Health, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, AustraliaThere is growing interest in psychological processes that might be targeted in treatments for bipolar disorder (BD). One such process is a vulnerability at the level of self-concept, characterized by presence of, and fluctuations between positive and negative self-concept. The aim of the present study was to advance this literature by investigating the role of two emerging meta-cognitive processes – self-compassion and nonattachment to self – which have potential to therapeutically modulate this unstable self-concept in BD. Using an analog design, it was hypothesized that both variables would mediate the relationship between bipolar tendencies and psychological distress in a general population sample. Participants (N = 372 Australian university students) completed self-report measures of manic and depressive tendencies, self-compassion, nonattachment to self and psychological distress. To investigate the specificity of the two hypothesized mediators, a better-researched psychological variable – rumination – was also included in mediation analyses. Bivariate analyses found tendencies toward mania and depression to be associated with diminished self-compassion and nonattachment to self, while both psychological processes were negatively associated with psychological distress. Mediation analyses showed, as expected, self-compassion and nonattachment to self mediated the relationship between bipolar tendencies and psychological distress after controlling for the effects of rumination. The present findings add incrementally to this literature by demonstrating that two meta-cognitive processes – self-compassion and nonattachment to self – act as mediators, and may be modifiable mechanisms linking bipolar vulnerability to negative mood outcomes. Future research should tackle longstanding conceptual issues in this domain, including the relationship between contents of self-concept (an established focus of BD research) and the person’s meta-cognitive approach to their self-concept (the focus here).https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01848/fullbipolar disorderself-conceptself-compassionnonattachment to selftherapeutic mechanism |
| spellingShingle | Yan Yang Kathryn Fletcher Richard Whitehead Greg Murray Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to Self Frontiers in Psychology bipolar disorder self-concept self-compassion nonattachment to self therapeutic mechanism |
| title | Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to Self |
| title_full | Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to Self |
| title_fullStr | Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to Self |
| title_full_unstemmed | Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to Self |
| title_short | Toward New Therapeutic Mechanisms in Bipolar Disorder: Analog Investigation of Self-Compassion and Nonattachment to Self |
| title_sort | toward new therapeutic mechanisms in bipolar disorder analog investigation of self compassion and nonattachment to self |
| topic | bipolar disorder self-concept self-compassion nonattachment to self therapeutic mechanism |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01848/full |
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