Study: Self-Compassion Improves Emotional Regulation, ADHD Symptoms

November 22, 2024

Self-compassion improves emotional regulation skills and reduces the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and ADHD symptoms, suggests a new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.¹ The researchers recommend integrating self-compassion practices into therapeutic treatments for individuals with ADHD who have experienced trauma.

Greater exposure to ACEs increases the likelihood of developing ADHD symptoms and emotional regulation challenges, while decreasing self-compassion in young adults, according to the study. These findings align with previous research showing that individuals who experience four or more ACEs — including emotional abuse, physical neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse, parental separation, and incarceration of a family member — before age 18 have a relatively higher rate and severity of ADHD symptoms and emotional dysregulation in adulthood.^{2, 3} ACEs also increase the risk of comorbidities, such as anxiety, depression, and substance use, which could obscure or intensify ADHD symptoms.

“The relationship between ACEs and ADHD symptoms is partly explained by increased emotional reactivity and difficulties in stress regulation that result from early adversity,” the researchers wrote. “ACEs often disrupt emotional development by overwhelming a child’s capacity to manage stress, leading to long-term difficulties in emotional regulation, such as heightened emotional reactivity or emotional numbing.”

The researchers analyzed questionnaires on self-compassion and emotional regulation completed by 442 college students aged 18 to 29 from Turkey who also filled out the ACEs Checklist. Roughly 76% of the participants reported one or more ACEs, with about 27% reporting four or more; 4% reported receiving an ADHD diagnosis.

What helps individuals manage their emotions and reframe the impact of ACEs, according to the study? Self-compassion.

“Self-compassion fosters a growth mindset, enabling individuals to view setbacks and opportunities for learning and personal growth,” the researchers wrote. “This positive self-regard builds inner strength and helps individuals cope with difficulties in a calm manner; individuals with higher levels of self-compassion can constructively process childhood adversities. This improves emotional regulation techniques and reduces ADHD-related impairments.”

Further, the study shows that individuals high in self-compassion are more likely to engage in adaptive coping strategies and less likely to engage in self-criticism and negative self-talk, or in maladaptive coping strategies, such as suppression, which can lead to feelings of shame, guilt, and inadequacy.

What Is Self-Compassion?

“Self-compassion allows you to be good enough as you are — with your warts and your foibles,” says Sharon Saline, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist. “Sometimes you may be off-balanced, sometimes more reactive than you’d like, sometimes disorganized, but, fundamentally, you are perfectly imperfect as a human being, just like everyone else.”

The practice of self-compassion encompasses three elements:

1. Self-kindness means treating oneself with care and understanding during times of pain or failure, instead of harsh self-criticism. It requires accepting one’s humanity and flaws rather than comparing or evaluating oneself to others.
2. Common humanity recognizes personal challenges as a part of the shared human experience; everyone experiences difficulties.
3. Balanced awareness identifies and analyzes uncomfortable and painful thoughts and feelings; mindfulness prevents the individual from getting consumed by them.

The researchers recommend integrating self-compassion practices into the following interventions:

• Mindfulness and emotional regulation training that fosters resilience
• Trauma-informed approaches in educational and practical settings to help identify and support individuals at risk for ADHD symptoms resulting from ACEs
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to support and develop adaptive coping mechanisms in individuals with a history of ACEs

“Future longitudinal studies will also provide a clearer understanding of how ACEs, self-compassion, and emotion regulation interact over time to influence ADHD symptoms,” they wrote.

How to Practice Self-Compassion

According to Mark Bertin, M.D., a developmental pediatrician in Pleasantville, New York, the idea of self-compassion is straightforward. “Self-compassion is a reality-based antidote for self-criticism and perfectionism,” he says. “We learn to value self-improvement and take responsibility for mistakes, but without inner heckling. Self-compassion helps us realize that self-image and self-doubt are not hardwired mental traits but habits that can change.”

Pushing back against the voice of self-criticism helps individuals focus on better intentions. “Without striving to make anything magical happen, we remind ourselves how we would treat a friend in the same situation,” Bertin says.

To practice self-compassion through mindfulness, Bertin recommends setting a timer for 5 to 15 minutes and following these instructions:

1. Start by sitting or lying down in a comfortable posture. Close your eyes or shift your gaze to something non-distracting.
2. Take a few deep breaths. Gather your attention, which may be caught up in self-recrimination, fear, joy, worries, or distractions. For now, focus on the movement of your body with each full breath.
3. With each inhalation, observe it all. You might say to yourself, “This is what my experience is right now,” or “This is how it feels, for better or worse.” Then consider, “Everyone has moments like this.”
4. With each exhalation, set an intention. “May I find strength and kindness for myself right now.” Use any phrase that feels natural, or something you would say to comfort a friend.
5. Don’t be discouraged by distractions. You will get distracted almost immediately. That’s what the mind does. Treat that distraction as a neutral force — it happens, no need for frustration, come back to take the next breath.

Continue in this way for a few breaths or until your timer goes off.

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