A meta-analysis of self-compassion and attachment in adults

Hill, Charlotte, Vasiliou, Vasilis S., Sirois, Fuschia M., Hughes, Olivia and Thompson, Andrew R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6788-7222 2025. A meta-analysis of self-compassion and attachment in adults. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice 10.1111/papt.12590

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Abstract

Objective Attachment might shape the extent to which a person is self-compassionate. Despite the plethora of research examining attachment and self-compassion, no previous systematic review has quantified the magnitude of the associations between self-compassion and different attachment dimensions. Design Random-effects meta-analyses examined the magnitude of the associations of self-compassion with anxious, avoidant, and secure attachment, using correlational effects (r-value). Moderator analyses tested whether the effects varied as a function of participant age, sex, population type (students vs. community sample) and attachment measure used within studies. Methods A systematic search of the literature using SCOPUS, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases retrieved 37 eligible studies. Results The meta-analyses revealed a medium effect size for the positive association between self-compassion with secure attachment, ravg = .395, 95% CI [0.248, 0.524], and medium and small effect sizes for the negative associations with anxious attachment, ravg = −.282, 95% CI [−0.329, −0.233], and avoidant attachment, ravg = −.280, 95% CI [−0.320, −0.240]. Moderator analyses indicate that the magnitude of associations with avoidant attachment varied as a function of participant age and population type (students vs. community samples). Conclusions The findings suggest differential associations between self-compassion and attachment dimensions. Self-compassion was positively associated with secure attachment, while the reverse was found for insecure attachment. Negative associations between self-compassion and avoidant attachment were larger for older individuals. Ageing populations may be vulnerable to lower self-compassion when already more prone to experiencing avoidant attachment. Compassion-focused therapy may be an effective therapeutic option when working with individuals reliant on anxious or avoidant attachment dimensions.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Psychology
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	1476-0835
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 April 2025
Date of Acceptance:	25 February 2025
Last Modified:	08 Apr 2025 09:21
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177423

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