The purpose of this study was to explore the moderated mediating effect of self-compassion through self-blame on the relationship between mindfulness and shame.

A total of 315 college students participated in this study by completing the following questionnaires: Mindfulness Scale, Depressive Experience Questionnaire, Self-Compassion Scale, State Shame and Guilt Scale. Data were analyzed through SPSS22.0 and its macro. The main findings were as follows.

First, the result of bootstrapping indicated that self-criticism partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and shame. Second, hierarchical regression and slope analyses revealed the moderating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between self-criticism and shame. Finally, the results indicated that self-compassion moderated the mediating effect of mindfulness on shame through self-criticism.

Contributions of this study to an integrative understanding of the process of self-compassion was considered useful for future therapeutic intervention. Limitation and suggestions was also discussed.