The Fears of Compassion in Sport Scale: a short, context-specific measure of fear of self-compassion and receiving compassion from others validated in UK athletes

ABSTRACT Objective Despite the many benefits of compassion, athletes fear being compassionate. To provide a valid and reliable psychometric tool for sport researchers and practitioners, we developed and validated a Fears of Compassion in Sport Scale (FCSS), based on an existing measure of fears of compassion in general life domains. Method We generated FCSS items measuring sport-specific fear of self-compassion (FSC) and receiving compassion from others (FCO). Following a content evaluation of FCSS items, we assessed psychometric properties of the new instrument in three samples of UK athletes (total N = 792). Results The FCSS demonstrated very good factorial, concurrent, discriminant, predictive validity, measurement invariance (especially across sport types and competitive levels), internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Both FSC and FCO in sport were negatively associated with self-compassion and associated positively with narcissistic vulnerability and psychological distress. Athletes were more fearful of self-compassion but less fearful of receiving compassion in sport compared to in general life. However, it was FCO, not FSC, that predicted psychological distress at three months follow-up. Conclusion The new instrument offers a way to assess fears of compassion in sport. The present research provided new knowledge regarding different manifestations of fears of compassion in sport. Key points What is already known about this topic: (1) Compassionate mind training offers emotion regulation benefits and is known to facilitate athletes in establishing and maintaining mental health. (2) However, athletes have raised concerns over embracing compassion because they are fearful of becoming mediocre by adopting a compassionate mind. (3) Whilst attention has been called to integrating compassion in competitive settings and examining fears of compassion in sport, no existing psychometric measure is available for assessing sport-specific fears of compassion. What this topic adds: (1) Through three athletic samples, this research validated the first psychometric measure for assessing fears of compassion in sport and demonstrated good construct validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and measurement invariance. (2) Athletes appear to be more fearful of self-compassion but less fearful of receiving compassion in sport compared to general life domains. (3) Cross-lagged panel analysis revealed baseline fear of compassion from others (not fear of self-compassion) predicted athletes’ psychological distress in 3-month time.