Exploring experiences of self-criticism in young people (V1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring experiences of self-criticism for young people accessing child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
IRAS ID
335849
Contact name
Helen Bowen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
This project will look at how young people accessing child and adolescent mental health services experience 'self-criticism'. Self-criticism is described as a process of negative self-evaluation and self-scrutiny (Zuroff et al., 2016). Empirical studies with adult populations have found an association between self-criticism and several psychological difficulties including depression (Zhang et al., 2019) and social anxiety (Shahar et al., 2015), however little attention has been given within the literature to how self-criticism operates for young people. Research in non-clinical samples has shown that adolescents who score high on self-compassion also display lower levels of perceived stress (Bluth et al., 2016), anxiety and depression (Muris et al., 2016). This research demonstrates a rationale for the potential benefits of supporting young people to develop self-compassion. For clinicians to facilitate this process, it is likely to be helpful to have a richer understanding of what limits self-compassion, for example an inner critic, and how this shows up in young people.There is a lack of research examining experiences of self-criticism among adolescents experiencing a mental health difficulty. This research gap, if addressed, would provide useful information to clinicians on how self-criticism impacts on mental distress in this population. Problematic self-criticism is associated with poorer psychotherapy outcomes (Low et al., 2020). We hope the knowledge from this study will provide helpful information to clinicians supporting young people with high levels of self-criticism, and contribute to improved intervention outcomes for this population.
Adolescents aged 12-18 who are accessing child and adolescent mental health services will be invited to take part in an interview lasting 1 hour to talk about their experiences. Interviews will take place in an NHS location familiar to the young person, or online via videocall, and will be analysed using a qualitative methodology (looking for themes in what participants talk about).
Summary of Results:
The results of this study show how self-criticism had a big impact on the lives of this group of young people. Participants described the particular challenges faced by young people that can make self-criticism worse including moving school, exams, bullying, and social media use. Self-criticism had a negative impact on people’s wellbeing and could cause people to withdraw from enjoyable activities or isolate themselves. Despite this, participants also reported valuing some things about self-criticism, for example describing it as motivating.
These results support the view that self-criticism could be the focus of psychological support for young people. These findings are important for people working at CAMHS to consider. Clinicians working with CAMHS should spend time understanding young people’s experiences of self-criticism which will be unique to each person. It may be helpful for clinicians to ask young people about what they value about self-criticism, as well as thinking about the ways in which it may be harmful.REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SW/0032
Date of REC Opinion
7 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion