The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an online self-compassion program on social anxiety among female university students experiencing maladaptive social anxiety. Participants included university students prone to maladaptive social...
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an online self-compassion program on social anxiety among female university students experiencing maladaptive social anxiety. Participants included university students prone to maladaptive social anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and self-focused attention. A total of 30 students were selected based on their scores on the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS) and were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (15 students) or a wait-control group (15 students). The online self-compassion program was administered over six sessions, each lasting 60 minutes and occurring twice a week. All participants in both the treatment and wait-control groups completed a pre-test, post-test, and a follow-up test three weeks later. The researcher utilized several measurement tools, including the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS), the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (B-FNES), the Scale for Dispositional Self-Focused Attention in Social Situations (SDSAS), and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). The analysis revealed that the treatment group experienced a significant decrease in scores for social avoidance and distress, fear of negative evaluation, and self-focused attention in social situations compared to the wait-control group, with these effects maintained in the follow-up test. Additionally, the treatment group showed a significant increase in self-compassion scores relative to the wait-control group, and this improvement also persisted at follow-up. Finally, the study discusses its implications and offers suggestions for future research.