Self-Compassion Development: A Systematic Review of Autistic Experiences and an Exploration of how Adolescents Experiencing Mental Distress Make Sense of the Concept of Self-Compassion.

This portfolio documents three papers, all aiming to understand experiences of self-compassion development. The first paper is a systematic literature review concerning autistic experiences of barriers to self-compassion. Nine empirical studies met inclusion criteria. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies were included, therefore, quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Narrative synthesis highlighted four barriers to self-compassion: backdraft, self-blame, camouflaging and emotion dysregulation.

Self-compassion exercises often triggered self-criticism and soles of the feet meditation resulted in negative physiological reactions. Camouflaging (masking of one’s authentic experience) and self-blame appeared linked to social stigma and rejection. Correlations were observed between self-compassion and emotion regulation and self-compassion and camouflaging, though causal direction was not established.

The second paper reports an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study exploring adolescent experiences of self-compassion during mental distress. Seven participants aged 14-17 years-old were recruited via their Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) keyworkers; six of whom identified as autistic. Participants spent two weeks photographing or creating artwork of what self-compassion meant to them.

Four group experiential themes were developed. Participants emphasised whether they accepted themselves or not. They prioritised relational experiences such as feeling understood by others, feeling held during their suffering, and sharing in laughter, playfulness and joy. Lastly, participants emphasised the way they treated themselves and others, and how they were treated in return. Methodological limitations resulted in less depth of understanding than hoped, however, findings illuminated a potentially unique adolescent emphasis on positive self-perception and shared positive experiences when conceptualising self-compassion. This highlighted possible differences between adolescent and theoretical perspectives. Findings were most relevant to autistic adolescents accessing CAMHS. Implications of the findings are discussed. The third paper is an Executive Summary tailored towards participants, schools, and mental health clinicians.