Self-compassion, self-coldness, and social support and their relationship with depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms following a massive terror attack: a prospective study

Background: On 7 October 2023, Israel suffered a massive deadly terror attack with 1400 civilians murdered and 240 kidnapped. Recent studies have documented an increase in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic symptoms in the aftermath of the attack. In the area of trauma, it has been shown that while some individuals are vulnerable to developing psychopathology following exposure to a traumatic event, the majority are not.Objective: In the present prospective study, we examined the contributions of internal (self-compassion and self-coldness) and external (social support) resources to depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic symptoms among civilians following a massive terror attack.Method: A total of 250 participants - 126 females (50.4%) and 124 males (49.6%); 156 Jews (62.4%) and 94 Arabs (37.6%) - aged 21-60 (M  = 41.7, SD = 10.63) completed questionnaires at two time points: T1 was in September 2023 (3-4 weeks before the attack) and T2 was in February-March 2024 (19-20 weeks after the attack). Participants were assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21), and International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ).Results: Self-compassion and social support were negatively associated with depression and anxiety, while self-coldness was positively associated with depression and anxiety. In addition, self-coldness uniquely contributed to the prediction of psychopathological outcomes, including the sense of threat symptoms cluster of posttraumatic stress disorder, beyond known risk factors.Conclusions: Our study highlights the role of self-coldness as a vulnerability factor for civilians following a terror attack. It is important to view the distinct facets of self-compassion as a therapeutic target when building both intervention and prevention programs for people exposed directly and indirectly to trauma.