Self-Compassion, Rumination, and Social Anxiety: Examining Their Interrelationships in Indian Young Adults

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the relationships between self- compassion, rumination, and social anxiety in Indian young adults and to determine if rumination mediates the relationship between self-compassion and social anxiety. 100 Indian young adults, aged 18 to 25, made up the study's sample (70 females and 30 males). A survey conducted online was used to get the data. Social anxiety was measured using the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale , Self-compassion was measured using the Self- Compassion Scale- Short Form (SCS-SF). Rumination was measured using the Rumination Response Scale. The data was analysed in SPSS using Pearson product-moment correlation, multiple regression, and the PROCESS macro. The findings showed a negative correlation between self-compassion and social anxiety, as well as between self-compassion and rumination. There was also a positive correlation between social anxiety and rumination. Furthermore, levels of social anxiety were significantly predicted by both self-compassion and rumination. The association between self-compassion and social anxiety was found to be mediated, most notably, by rumination. This suggests that those who have lower levels of self-compassion may be more likely to engage in ruminative thinking, which in turn makes them more susceptible to social anxiety.