Depression in people with skin conditions: the effects of disgust and self-compassion

Objectives Skin conditions can be accompanied by significant levels of depression; there is therefore a need to identify the associated psychological factors to assist with the development of appropriate interventions. This study sought to examine the effects of disgust propensity, disgust sensitivity, self-focused/ruminative disgust, and self-compassion on depression in people with skin conditions. Design A cross-sectional survey with follow-up survey. Methods Dermatology outpatients (N = 147) completed self-report measures of disgust traits, self-compassion, and depression. At three-month follow-up, participants (N = 80) completed the depression measure again. Results Multiple regression analyses revealed that disgust propensity, disgust sensitivity, self-focused/ruminative disgust, and self-compassion each explained significant amounts of variance in baseline depression. Self-compassion also explained a significant amount of variance in depression at follow-up, after accounting for baseline depression. In addition, self-compassion moderated the effect of disgust propensity on depression at baseline, such that at high levels of self-compassion, disgust propensity no longer had a positive relationship with depression. Conclusions Disgust traits contribute to depression in people with skin conditions, while being self-compassionate may be protective against depression. High self-compassion also buffers the effects of disgust propensity on depression in people with skin conditions. The findings indicate the potential of compassion-focused interventions for depression in people with skin conditions. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? People with skin conditions can experience depression that is not well explained by condition severity. Skin conditions can elicit disgust reactions that, in turn, may contribute to the development of depression. Self-compassion is negatively associated with depression. What does this study add? Disgust traits explain significant variance in depression in people with skin conditions. Self-compassion may protect against depression through main and moderation effects. Disgust and self-compassion may provide important targets for interventions.