The ‘Flow’ of compassion: A meta-analysis of the fears of compassion scales and psychological functioning
Abstract
This meta-analysis examined the associations between the fears of compassion and mental health. We extracted 19 studies reporting 154 effect sizes (Pearson's r) from 22 independent samples published during the last seven years, with data from 4723 participants. All studies used the Fears of Compassion Scales (FCS), which includes three subscales; fears of compassion for self, for others, and receiving from others. Specific mental health outcomes included: depression; anxiety; distress; and well-being, as well as the psychological vulnerability factors of self-criticism and shame. The overall association between the three FCS subscales and mental health difficulties was .49, .30 and .48 for fears of self-compassion, fears of compassion for others, and fears of compassion from others, respectively. Across mental health domains and vulnerability factors, pooled effect sizes ranged between r = .13 and .55 (in absolute value), with the strongest associations found between the mental health variables of shame, self-criticism, and depression, and the FCS subscales of fears of self-compassion and fears of receiving compassion. Moderator analyses were also conducted, including, age, gender, publication status, and sample (clinical vs. non-clinical). Overall, clinical populations demonstrated significantly stronger associations between mental health difficulties and fears of self-compassion, relative to non-clinical populations.
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Results can also be understood in the context of research on fears of compassion, in which fear of receiving compassion has a stronger association with mental health outcomes than fears of being compassionate to others.
“Results can also be understood in the context of research on fears of compassion, in which fear of receiving compassion has a stronger association with mental health outcomes than fears of being compassionate to others [37].”
From Validation of the compassionate engagement and action scales, compassion scale, and Sussex-Oxford compassion scales in a French-Canadian sample (2024) · cites this paper as [37]
Fear of compassion is more strongly related to reduced mental health in clinical populations compared to non-clinical populations.
“A meta-analysis found that fear of compassion was more strongly related to reduced mental health in clinical populations compared to non-clinical populations (Kirby et al., 2019), and thus targeting these processes in therapy may be relevant.”
From Group-based compassion-focused therapy for prolonged grief symptoms in adults – Results from a randomized controlled trial (2022) · cites this paper as Kirby et al., 2019
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“Thus, it was hypothesized that fears of compassion for self and from others (more so than fears of compassion for others) would predict psychological distress (Kirby et al., 2019) and a lack of social safeness (Kelly & Dupasquier, 2016) during the pandemic.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationCompassion as a Skill: A Comparison of Contemplative and Evolution-Based Approaches
Gilbert, P., & Gordon, W. V. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02173-w · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“Beliefs can fuel fear and avoidance of compassion; that compassion is a weakness or is undeserved (Gilbert et al., 2011; Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundSteindl, S. R., Bell, T., Dixon, A., & Kirby, J. N. (2022) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12530 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Self-citationSteindl, S., Tellegen, C., Filus, A., Seppälä, E. M., Doty, J. R., & Kirby, J. (2021) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050067.2021.1893110 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
“As a result the individual will not only be able to better tolerate compassion, but also the exposure will enable a new relationship to compassion to be formed, one which enables activation of parasympathetic system, and leads to improved mental health and wellbeing (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationDi Bello, M., Ottaviani, C., & Petrocchi, N. (2021) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.617443 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
“…of compassion, that is whether the ability to pay sensitive attention to suffering and effectively engage with it is accompanied by the intention and capacity to start the response process (an appropriate action) to alleviate the suffering (Gilbert, 2017b; Kirby et al., 2019; Gilbert, 2020).”
BackgroundMurfield, J., Moyle, W., O’Donovan, A., & Ware, R. S. (2024) · Clinical Gerontologist · doi:10.1080/07317115.2020.1846650 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“…which when assessed as fears of compassion (e.g., receiving compassion is indulgent, a weakness, will be judged for it) is related to depression, shame, and self-criticism (Kirby, Day, & Sagar, 2019) – the CEAS may be assessing the availability of caregivers’ significant others to be compassionate.”
BackgroundMcBride, N. L., Bates, G. W., Elphinstone, B., & Whitehead, R. E. (2022) · Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12417 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
“Kirby et al. (2019) argued that these aspects of compassion exist in a dynamic reciprocal relationship in which compassion can flow from one to another.”
BackgroundMatos, M., Duarte, C., Duarte, J., Pinto-Gouveia, J., Petrocchi, N., & Gilbert, P. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01717-2
Burnout and depression in Australian psychologists: The moderating role of self-compassion
McCade, D., Frewen, A., & Fassnacht, D. (2021) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050067.2021.1890979 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“explored research into the fear of compassion and selfcompassion, finding strong associations with selfcriticism, shame and depression (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundMatos, M., Palmeira, L., Albuquerque, I., Cunha, M. I. V. A., de Lima, M. P., Galhardo, A. B., Maratos, F. A., & Gilbert, P. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01778-3 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Compassion Focused Therapy for Body Weight Shame: A Mixed Methods Pilot Trial.
Carter, A., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. (2020) · Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2488 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citationBeshai, S., Bueno, C., Yu, M., Feeney, J. R., & Pitariu, A. (2020) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103724 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Fear leads to suffering: Fears of compassion predict restriction of the moral boundary
Crimston, C. R., Blessing, S., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2021) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12483 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-citationThe experience of loneliness: The role of fears of compassion and social safeness
Best, T., Herring, L., Clarke, C., Kirby, J. N., & Gilbert, P. (2021) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111161 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Self-citationSteindl, S. R., Yiu, R. X. Q., Baumann, T., & Matos, M. (2019) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1111/ap.12433 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
A Meta-analysis of Loving-Kindness Meditations on Self-Compassion
Reilly, E. B., & Stuyvenberg, C. L. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01972-x · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“Given Gilbert and colleagues (2011) theorized that an individual can fear or find it difficult to receive compassion and the associations between fears of compassion and anxiety, depression, shame, and self-criticism in a recent metaanalysis (Kirby et al., 2019), we suggest clinicians assess a client’s view of compass…”
BackgroundFox, J., Cattani, K., & Burlingame, G. M. (2020) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503307.2020.1783708 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“Furthermore, previous literature has measured these three outcomes (Joeng & Turner, 2015; Kirby et al., 2019; Matos et al., 2017; Naismith et al., 2020) with promising results.”
BackgroundSavari, Y., Mohagheghi, H., & Petrocchi, N. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01584-3 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Attachment styles modulate neural markers of threat and imagery when engaging in self-criticism
Kim, J. J., Kent, K. M., Cunnington, R., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-70772-x · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Self-citationBeaton, D. M., Sirois, F. M., & Milne, E. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01464-w · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“In previous research, self-compassion has been shown to be negatively associated with low mood (MacBeth and Gumley 2012) and fears of compassion have been demonstrated to be significantly associated with increased depression, anxiety and stress (Kirby et al. 2019).”
BackgroundCarter, A., Hoang, A., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2021) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/13591053211027641 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“In contrast, compassionate motivations tend to buffer and reduce the impact of mental health distress (Kirby et al., 2019; Liss and Erchull, 2015).”
BackgroundSelf-citationMatos, M., Petrocchi, N., Irons, C., & Steindl, S. R. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23474 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
A Bibliometric Review of Self-Compassion Research: Science Mapping the Literature, 1999 to 2020
Swami, V., Andersen, N., & Furnham, A. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01662-0 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Maratos, F. A., Wood, W., Cahill, R., Hernández, Y. A. T., Matos, M., & Gilbert, P. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-024-02303-y · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“…Bluth & Eisenlohr-Moul, 2017; Seekis et al., 2023), rather than the much wider perspective of the flows of compassion, including compassion for self, compassion for others and receiving compassion from others (Gilbert et al., 2011; Gilbert & Simos, 2022; Kirby et al., 2019; Tarrasch et al., 2020).”
Johannsen, M., Schlander, C., Farver-Vestergaard, I., Lundorff, M., Wellnitz, K. B., Komischke-Konnerup, K. B., & O'Connor, M. (2022) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114683 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Andersson, C., Mellner, C., Lilliengren, P., Einhorn, S., Bergsten, K. L., Stenström, E., & Osika, W. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.748140 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system provides feelings of psychological safety, in contrast to activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which occurs when an individual perceives threat or stress (Thayer and Lane, 2000; Liotti and Gilbert, 2011; Klimecki et al., 2014).”
BackgroundCompassion as a transdiagnostic target to reduce mental health symptoms and promote well-being
Kirby, J. N. (2025) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-025-00422-4 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationCarter, A., Steindl, S. R., Parker, S. L., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2023) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2023.02.001 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationAsano, K., Tsuchiya, M., Okamoto, Y., Ohtani, T., Sensui, T., Masuyama, A., Isato, A., Shoji, M., Shiraishi, T., Shimizu, E., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.903842 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Benevolence – Associations With Stress, Mental Health, and Self-Compassion at the Workplace
Andersson, C., Stenfors, C. U. D., Lilliengren, P., Einhorn, S., & Osika, W. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.568625 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“Therefore, it would be of interest to study how it relates to the fears in each direction of the compassionate flow and see if decreasing the fears and blocks (Kirby et al., 2019) will have a positive impact on benevolence.”
BackgroundCarter, A., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. (2021) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2021.1955118 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“This is concerning, as fears of receiving compassion from others is associated with poorer mental health outcomes (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationBratt, A. S., Gralberg, I.-M., Svensson, I., & Rusner, M. (2020) · Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/1359104520931583 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“Compassion from others and self-compassion (self-to-self) in particular seem to reduce shame and self-criticism, and, in turn, mental health problems such as depression (Hermanto et al., 2016; Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundCavalcanti, L. G., Steindl, S. R., Matos, M., & Boschen, M. J. (2021) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-01510-3 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Zhang, S., Guo, M., Wang, J., & Lin, L. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780144 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“Indeed, abundant literature has demonstrated that fear of compassion for self and fear of compassion from others are associated with various forms of emotional dysfunction (Gilbert et al., 2011; Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialMcLean, L., Steindl, S., & Bambling, M. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01837-3 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“The latter part was omitted from this study as the primary outcome was focused on fears relating to receiving compassion (from self and others) which have been found to be more strongly correlated with poorer mental health outcomes than the compassion for other subscales (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundChan, K. K. S., Yip, C. C. H., & Tsui, J. K. C. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02088-6 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Compassion Questionnaires: Scales Development and Validation
Khoury, B., Vergara, R. C., & Spinelli, C. (2023) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-023-10416-2 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“For example, fears of receiving compassion are negatively related to self-compassion (Gilbert et al., 2011) and associated with negative outcomes, such as depression, shame, and self-criticism (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundPosition paper – CFT for psychosis
Heriot-Maitland, C. (2023) · Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12490 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“The evidence for fears of compassion being associated with poor mental health outcomes is summarised in a recent meta-analysis by Kirby et al. (2019), using data from 4723 participants in 19 studies who have competed the Fears of Compassion Scales (Gilbert et al., 2011).”
Gilbert, P., Basran, J. K., Raven, J., Gilbert, H., Petrocchi, N., Cheli, S., Rayner, A., Hayes, A., Lucre, K., Minou, P., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.841932 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“…psychotherapies seek to help clients with common processes that include: Mind awareness, differentiation, tolerance, integration and transformation which increase people’s biopsychosocial abilities to adapt to changing internal and external events (Gilbert and Kirby, 2019; Gilbert and Simos, 2022).”
BackgroundCompassion Mediates Poor Sleep Quality and Mental Health Outcomes
Kim, J. J., Oldham, M., Fernando, A. T., & Kirby, J. N. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01595-8 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationNurturing self-compassionate performers
Walton, C. C., Osborne, M. S., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2022) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050067.2022.2033952 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“The Fears of Compassion Scale (Gilbert et al., 2011) is a good example, with meta-analytic work finding these fears are associated with higher levels of self-criticism, shame, depression and anxiety (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundSelf-citationThe Role of Likeability in Discriminating Between Kindness and Compassion
Kirby, J. N., Gerrish, R., Sherwell, C. S., & Gilbert, P. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01900-z · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationPhysiological fractals: visual and statistical evidence across timescales and experimental states
Kim, J. J., Parker, S. L., Henderson, T., & Kirby, J. N. (2020) · Journal of The Royal Society Interface · doi:10.1098/rsif.2020.0334 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“Previous research has identified how these CMT exercises can increase HRV [21–23], and also how these interventions are associated with reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, as well as fears of self-compassion [24].”
BackgroundSelf-citationSperandio, K. R., Gutiérrez, D., Kirk, M., Lopez, J., & Mason, W. N. (2021) · The Family Journal · doi:10.1177/10664807211052479 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“…stress, self-criticism, and substance use (Brooks et al., 2012; López et al., 2018; Neff et al., 2005) and increased resilience, sleep quality, emotional regulation, and adaptive coping skills (Kim et al., 2021; Kirby et al., 2019; Leary et al., 2007; Neff et al., 2005; Scoglio et al., 2018).”
BackgroundCompassion Focused Therapy – What It Is, What It Targets, and the Evidence
Kirby, J. N., & Petrocchi, N. (2023) · Mindfulness in behavioral health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_23 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citationBurnout, compassion for others and fear of compassion: a quantitative study in Iranian nurses
Khanjani, S., Bardezard, Y. A., Foroughi, A., & Yousefi, F. (2021) · Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy · doi:10.47626/2237-6089-2020-0082 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Compassion-Based Meditation Quality Practice and Its Impact on the Positive Attitudes Toward Others
Navarrete, J., Campos, D., Diego-Pedro, R., González-Hernández, E., Herrero, R., Baños, R., & Cebolla, A. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01652-2 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Sousa, R., Petrocchi, N., Gilbert, P., & Rijo, D. (2022) · Journal of Criminal Justice · doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2022.101970 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Tri-process model of interpersonal mindfulness: theoretical framework and study protocol
Khoury, B., Manova, V., Adel, L., Dumas, G., Lifshitz, M., Vergara, R. C., Sekhon, H., & Rej, S. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1130959 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“fear) of support from others had an impact on the effectiveness of such support (Gilbert et al., 2011; Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundNeural and Self-Report Markers of Reassurance: A Generalized Additive Modelling Approach
Kim, J. J., Henderson, T., Best, T., Cunnington, R., & Kirby, J. N. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.566141 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citationOne Compassion, Many Means: A Big Two Analysis of Compassionate Behavior
Quaglia, J. T. (2022) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-022-01895-7 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“This may be aimed at misconceptions outside the scientific community that compassion entails submissiveness, as revealed by research on the fears of compassion (Gilbert et al. 2011; Kirby et al. 2019).”
BackgroundMatos, M., McEwan, K., Kanovský, M., Halamová, J., Steindl, S. R., Ferreira, N. B., Linharelhos, M., Rijo, D., Asano, K., Vilas, S. P., et al. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20031845 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“Resistances to compassion emerge when someone could be compassionate but chooses not to be because they believe it might be too costly for themselves or that there is no point in compassion [41,43].”
BackgroundSelf-citationMendonça, S. E., Dykhuis, E. M., & Jayawickreme, E. (2023) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2023.104373 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
A multi-level meta-analytic review of attachment and fears of compassion
Varley, D., Sherwell, C. S., Fu, M., & Kirby, J. N. (2023) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2023.112477 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citationRice, S., Kealy, D., Seidler, Z. E., Walton, C. C., Oliffe, J. L., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2021) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114110 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Liu, X., Shen, Y., Cui, L., Liu, B., & Yang, Y. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02133-4 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Zhang, S., & McEwan, K. (2023) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050067.2023.2183108 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“In addition, fear of compassion for others did not account for changes in mental health and posttraumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic (Matos et al., 2021) and did not predict improvements following compassion-focused interventions (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundCompassion-focused therapy with autistic adults
Mason, D., Acland, J., Stark, E. A., Happe, F. G. E., & Spain, D. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1267968 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Matos, M., Galhardo, A. B., Palmeira, L., Albuquerque, I., Cunha, M. I. V. A., de Lima, M. P., Maratos, F. A., & Gilbert, P. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-024-02360-3 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“…that fears of compassion, particularly of self-compassion and of receiving compassion from others, are strongly associated with psychological distress (e.g. depression, anxiety, and stress), and with vulnerability factors, such as self-criticism and shame (Gilbert et al., 2011; Kirby et al., 2019).”
Kim, J. J., Gerrish, R., Gilbert, P., & Kirby, J. N. (2020) · Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12270 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationThe flows of compassion in adolescents as measured by the compassionate engagement and action scales
Cunha, M. I. V. A., Galhardo, A. B., Gilbert, P., Rodrigues, C., & Matos, M. (2021) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02097-5 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“…significant associations with mental health, revealing strong correlations with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress (Gilbert et al., 2011, Kirby et al., 2019), as well as strong correlations with self-criticism and shame (Braehler et al., 2013; Kirby et al., 2019), and insecure…”
BackgroundEpidemiology of compassion: A literature review
Addiss, D. G., Richards, A., Adiabu, S., Horwath, E., Leruth, S., Graham, A. L., & Buesseler, H. M. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992705 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Sousa, R., da Silva, D. R., Petrocchi, N., Gilbert, P., & Rijo, D. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1032011 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Due to past experiences and memories, some inhibitors (such as fears of compassion), can prevent the compassionate motivation to be turned-on (8, 32).”
BackgroundKirby, J. N., Sherwell, C. S., Lynn, S., & Moloney-Gibb, D. (2023) · Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools · doi:10.1017/jgc.2023.5 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“A large body of research indicates individuals can fear compassion (Kirby et al., 2019), which is associated with higher mental health problems.”
BackgroundSelf-citationBennett–Levy, J., Roxburgh, N., Hibner, L., Bala, S., Edwards, S., Lucre, K., Cohen, G., O’Connor, D., Keogh, S., & Gilbert, P. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.568561 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“For instance, people with strong fears of compassion tend to have poor mental health (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundSelf-Compassion in Psychotherapy: Clinical Integration, Evidence Base, and Mechanisms of Change
Germer, C. K. (2023) · Mindfulness in behavioral health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_22 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Saarinen, A. I. L., Keltikangas‐Järvinen, L., Dobewall, H., Ahola‐Olli, A., Salmi, M., Lehtimäki, T. J., Raitakari, O. T., Jalkanen, S., & Hintsanen, M. (2021) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.22070 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“depression) may not have fears for providing compassion for others but, rather, they are more likely to have fears in receiving compassion from others (Kirby et al., 2019).”
BackgroundValidation of the Fears of Compassion Scale in a Chinese Cultural Context
Guo, M., Wang, J.-Y., Day, J., & Kirby, J. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01534-z · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Self-citationSantos, L., Pinheiro, M. D. R., & Rijo, D. (2023) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106122 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Fears of Compassion Scales.
Biermann, M., Bohus, M., Gilbert, P., Vonderlin, R., Cornelisse, S., Osen, B., Graser, J., Brüne, M., Ebert, A., Lyssenko, L., et al. (2020) · Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2496 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“…and receiving compassion is physiologically linked to adaptive heart rate variability (e.g., Cosley, McCoy, Saslow, & Epel, 2010; Kim et al., 2020; Kirby et al., 2017; Matos et al., 2017; Petrocchi, Ottaviani, & Couyoumdjian, 2017; Rockliff, Gilbert, McEwan, Lightman, & Glover, 2008), blood…”
Luo, X., Shen, Y., Sun, L., Qi, X., Hong, J., Wang, Y., Che, X., & Lei, Y. (2024) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2024.05.117 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Brophy, K., Emery, M., MacDonald, C., Côté, C. I., & Körner, A. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0305776 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Lindsey, S., Hiskey, S., Irons, C., & Andrews, L. (2022) · OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.21926/obm.icm.2203039 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Self-Compassion in Trauma Treatment
Braehler, C. (2023) · Mindfulness in behavioral health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_20 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Walton, C. C., Kirby, J. N., McKenzie, S., Gao, C. X., Purcell, R., Rice, S., & Osborne, M. S. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1512114 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“In addition, fears of SC are associated with worse outcomes relating to mental health (Kirby et al., 2019).”
Self-citationMerritt, O. A., & Purdon, C. (2021) · British Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjc.12313 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Amari, N., Martin, T., Mahoney, A., Peacock, S., Stewart, J., & Alford, E. A. (2022) · Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy · doi:10.1007/s10879-022-09573-4 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Zhang, S., & Boardley, I. D. (2022) · Performance Enhancement & Health · doi:10.1016/j.peh.2022.100243 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Fears and Resistances to Mindfulness: Development of a Self-Report Scale
Gilbert, P., Basran, J. K., Plowright, P., Matos, M., Kirby, J. N., & Petrocchi, N. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02171-y · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“…emotions (feeling and expressing; Gilbert et al., 2014a); fears of happiness (Gilbert et al., 2014a, b, c) and fears, blocks, and resistances to the flows of compassion (Gilbert et al., 2011; Kirby et al., 2019), we sought to develop a fears, blocks and resistances (FBRs) of mindfulness scale.”
BackgroundMethodSelf-citationSelf‐compassion and related factors in severe mental illness: A scoping review
Kurebayashi, Y., & Sugimoto, H. (2022) · Perspectives In Psychiatric Care · doi:10.1111/ppc.13017 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Fears of compassion scales in psychosis: confirmatory factor analysis and psychometric properties
Carvalho, D., Marques, C., Pinto, A. M., Martins, M. J., Leal, I., & Castilho, P. (2021) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-021-01979-y · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-Compassion, Personal Improvement, and Motivation
Ortiz, A., Goold, A. R., & Zhang, J. W. (2023) · Mindfulness in behavioral health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_12 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kirby, J. N., Day, J., & Sagar, V.
- Affiliations
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Kirby, James N.
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology Review
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-06
- Volume
- 70
- Pages
- 26-39
- ISSN
- 0272-7358 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2922505176
- Cited by
- 232
- References
- 90
- Citations by year
- 2026: 32 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 5
- FWCI
- 3.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Clinical Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NOVA (University of Newcastle Australia) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Keywords
- self-compassion, compassion for others, depression, anxiety, psychological distress, well-being, shame, self-criticism, psychological vulnerability
- MeSH terms
- Psychological Distress, Anxiety, Depression, Empathy, Fear, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Self Concept, Shame, Social Behavior
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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