Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-4024-0477

Date of Award

8-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Sarah Hayes-Skelton

Second Advisor

Lizabeth Roemer

Third Advisor

Michaela B. Swee

Abstract

The present study examined the efficacy of a brief, shame-focused self-compassion (SF-SC) writing intervention in reducing shame, social anxiety and related cognitive maintenance processes among individuals with elevated social anxiety. Shame is a core feature and maintaining factor of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), closely linked to self-focused attention, post-event processing, and self-criticism. Additionally, self-compassion demonstrates a robust inverse association with shame. However, few interventions have explicitly targeted shame as a primary mechanism of change using self-compassion strategies in socially anxious populations. Using a randomized controlled design, 94 participants with elevated levels of social anxiety and shame were assigned to either a two-week, five-session online SF-SC writing intervention or a waitlist control condition. Participants completed self-report measures of self-compassion, global, internal and external shame, social anxiety symptoms, behavioral avoidance, self-focused attention, post-event processing, and self-criticism at baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. The intervention consisted of structured writing exercises grounded in mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness, informed by established, evidence-based models, including Neff’s self-compassion framework and Gilbert’s compassion focused therapy. Content was further adapted to directly address fears of self-compassion and socially and culturally mediated shame through psychoeducation on cross-cultural variations in the experience of shame and guided reflection on identity-based shame. Results provided strong support for the efficacy of the SF-SC intervention, with participants in the intervention condition demonstrating significantly greater reductions in global, internal, and external shame, as well as significantly greater increases in self-compassion, compared to the control group. These gains were largely maintained at one-month follow-up. Changes in self-compassion were strongly and negatively correlated with changes in all dimensions of shame, suggesting that increases in self-compassion may function as an active mechanism of change in shame reduction. With respect to cognitive processes, the SF-SC intervention produced significant reductions in self-focused attention and post-event processing, while effects on self-criticism were not significant. Participants in the intervention group also reported significantly greater reductions in social anxiety symptoms and behavioral avoidance at follow-up. Taken together, these findings support the utility of a brief, accessible, and culturally responsive shame-focused self-compassion writing intervention as a promising adjunct or stand-alone approach for individuals with elevated social anxiety and highlight the importance of addressing both shame and identity-related factors in treatment. Limitations, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Comments

Free and open access to this work is made available to the UMass Boston community by ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. Those not on campus and those without a UMass Boston campus username and password may gain access to this work through Interlibrary Loan. If you have a UMass Boston campus username and password and would like to download this work from off-campus, click on the “Off-Campus Users” button.

Download

Share

COinS