Shame Coping Strategies Amplify Certain Psychopathologies

Abstract

Introduction: Recent research has focused on the relationship between shame and psychopathology. It has been shown that shame predicts depressive and anxious symptoms, as well as substance abuse, non-suicidal self-injury, and aggression. However, it remains unclear, how one emotion can influence psychiatric symptoms of such a broad spectrum. It is assumed that as shame is such an intense and painful emotion, it needs to be coped with and that the coping-strategies influence the effect shame has on psychopathologies. The Compass of Shame Scale (CoSS) is a questionnaire measuring 4 shame coping-strategies (withdrawal, avoidance, attacking others, and attacking the self) and the ability to adapt to shame.

Methods: In this article, a German version of the CoSS (CoSS-d) is validated in a community sample and is used to predict psychopathology in a clinical and non-clinical sample.

Results: The CoSS-d shows a 4-factorial structure, good reliability, and validity and is stable over time. The 4 poles of shame-coping show an impact on depressive symptoms, aggression, and self-injury.

Conclusion: The CoSS serves as a reliable and unique measurement of trait shame-coping. Shame-coping styles are associated with psychopathology.

Keywords: Adolescence; Aggression; Depression; Self-injurious behavior; Shame; Shame-coping.