Abstract
Background
People with intellectual disabilities are reported to have low self-esteem and to experience high rates of adverse interpersonal experiences (AIEs). This study aimed to investigate whether shame and self-compassion mediate the relationship between AIEs and self-esteem for people with intellectual disabilities and whether perceived social support moderates this relationship.
Method
This study employed a cross-sectional design, involving between-group comparisons. Forty-seven people with intellectual disabilities and 50 people without intellectual disabilities completed self-report questionnaires measuring shame, self-compassion, self-esteem, early AIEs and social support.
Results
Shame and self-compassion were found to mediate the relationship between AIEs and self-esteem for people with intellectual disabilities. There was no evidence for a moderating effect of social support and no difference between groups in shame or self-compassion.
Conclusions
The findings suggest shame and self-compassion are important concepts for people with intellectual disabilities. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1037-1047 |
Journal | Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 10 Dec 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 31 Jul 2021 |