The Mediating Role of Adult Attachment and Social Connectedness in the Relationship Between Perceived Parenting Behaviours During Childhood and Compassion.

Background: The current compassion literature has shown that self-compassion can positively affect well-being and mental health. Research suggests that the origins of compassion likely begin in the early years of relationships with primary caregivers. However, little is known about what may affect this relationship and, therefore, the complexity of individual differences in compassion. The primary aim was to investigate the mediating role of adult attachment and social connectedness in the relationship between perceived parenting during childhood and compassion. A pilot study was also conducted to see if a self-directed online intervention would increase self-compassion scores. Method: A series of studies applied a quantitative methodology through self-report questionnaires. Participants were asked questions including demographic information, compassion, perceived parenting in childhood, adult attachment, and social connectedness. For the longitudinal study, an online intervention was delivered via an auditory file and the data was collected through online questionnaires. Results: Attachment anxiety and social connectedness mediated the relationship between perceived parenting, particularly between maternal rejection and self-compassion. In the serial mediation models, the small increase of variance in compassion suggests attachment anxiety and social connectedness may be competing against each other or an unknown factor in this relationship. For the intervention study, there was not much improvement after the intervention. There were differences in the results for both parents, which suggests that the parenting roles of the father and mother predict the relationship with compassion. Conclusion: Attachment anxiety and social connectedness mediated the relationship between perceived parenting and compassion. However, more research is needed to understand the relationship between adult attachment and social connectedness. By exploring the variance in compassion gives us a greater understanding of individual differences in self-compassion and may contribute to a greater understanding of how individuals can develop greater compassion and, therefore, better well-being and mental health.