During the COVID-19 pandemic, residents of Hubei Province, China, the outbreak’s epicenter, faced intense stigmatization that discouraged help-seeking through self-disclosure. This study examined how self-compassion strategies shaped affective and cognitive self-disclosure among stigmatized individuals. We investigated whether self-kindness and mindfulness regulation mediated the relationship between perceived stigmatization and these two types of self-disclosure. A sample of 512 Hubei participants was analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results showed that higher perceived stigmatization was positively associated with both self-kindness regulation and mindfulness regulation. However, stigmatization directly reduced affective self-disclosure while having no significant effect on cognitive self-disclosure. Despite their positive correlation, self-kindness and mindfulness regulation had opposing effects on affective self-disclosure: self-kindness promoted it, whereas mindfulness suppressed it. These findings emphasize the vulnerability of affective self-disclosure in stigmatized contexts and highlight the critical importance of distinguishing between different self-compassion strategies when designing psychological interventions.
AllenABLearyMR (2010) Self-Compassion, stress, and Coping. Social and Personality Psychology Compass4(2): 107–118.
2.
AlonzoAAReynoldsNR (1995) Stigma, HIV and AIDS: An exploration and elaboration of a stigma trajectory. Social Science & Medicine41(3): 303–315.
3.
AltmanITaylorDA (1973) Social Penetration: The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
4.
BarnardLKCurryJF (2011) Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, correlates, & interventions. Review of General Psychology15(4): 289–303.
5.
BreinesJGThomaMVGianferanteD, et al. (2014) Self-compassion as a predictor of interleukin-6 response to acute psychosocial stress. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity37: 109–114.
6.
BrewisAAHruschkaDJWutichA (2011) Vulnerability to fat-stigma in women’s everyday relationships. Social Science & Medicine73(4): 491–497.
7.
BudhwaniHSunR (2020) Creating COVID-19 stigma by referencing the novel coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” on Twitter: quantitative analysis of social media data. Journal of Medical Internet Research22(5): e19301.
8.
ChenJYanLSZhouLH (2011) Reliability and validity of Chinese version of self-compassion Scale. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology19(6): 734–736.
9.
CheungGWCooper-ThomasHDLauRS, et al. (2024) Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations. Asia Pacific Journal of Management41(2): 745–783.
10.
DavidsonBBalswickJHalversonC (1983) Affective self-Disclosure and marital adjustment: A Test of equity theory. Journal of Marriage and Family45(1): 93.
11.
DerlegaVJMettsSPetronioS, et al. (1993) Self-disclosure. Sage Publications, Inc.
12.
DreisoernerAJunkerNMvan DickR (2021) The relationship among the components of self-compassion: A pilot study using a compassionate writing intervention to enhance self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Journal of Happiness Studies22: 21–47.
13.
DupasquierJRKellyACMoscovitchDA, et al. (2020) Cultivating self-compassion promotes disclosure of experiences that threaten self-esteem. Cognitive Therapy and Research44: 108–119.
14.
EssamBAAbdoMS (2021) How do Arab tweeters perceive the COVID-19 pandemic?Journal of Psycholinguistic Research50(3): 507–521.
15.
Finlay-JonesAL (2017) The relevance of self-compassion as an intervention target in mood and anxiety disorders: A narrative review based on an emotion regulation framework. Clinical Psychologist21(2): 90–103.
16.
Fuller-RowellTENicholsOIEl-SheikhM, et al. (2024) The pandemic and social experience: For whom did discrimination and social isolation increase?Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology30(1): 107–117.
17.
Global Times (2020) Hebei Zhengding offers a reward for reporting individuals returning from Wuhan without registration, with a verified reward of 1,000 yuan. Available at: https://3w.huanqiu.com/a/bbd3a2/9CaKrnKp5Jf?agt=8aaaa14 (accessed 23 September 2023).
18.
GoffmanE (1963) Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Prentice Hall.
19.
GrecucciAPappaianniESiugzdaiteR, et al. (2015) Mindful emotion regulation: Exploring the neurocognitive mechanisms behind mindfulness. BioMed Research International2015(1): 670724.
20.
GreenbergJReinerKMeiranN (2012) “Mind the trap”: Mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity. PLoS One7(5): e36206.
21.
HairJFRisherJJSarstedtM, et al. (2019) When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review31(1): 2–24.
22.
HatzenbuehlerMLNolen-HoeksemaSDovidioJ (2009) How does stigma “get under the skin”? The mediating role of emotion regulation. Psychological Science20(10): 1282–1289.
23.
HuLBentlerPM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling A Multidisciplinary Journal6(1): 1–55.
24.
Kabat-ZinnJ (1982) An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry4(1): 33–47.
25.
KetaySThorsonKRRoyARK, et al. (2023) Trait mindfulness is associated with self-disclosure and responsiveness during social interactions with new acquaintances. Mindfulness14(1): 205–217.
26.
LaFreniereJBedor HilandE (2024) “I felt like it was the right thing to do”: How college students’ decisions to disclose COVID-19 diagnoses reflect privacy preferences, perceptions of stigma, and cultural norms. Qualitative Health Communication3(2): 44–71.
27.
LanninDGGuyllMVogelDL, et al. (2013) Reducing the stigma associated with seeking psychotherapy through self-affirmation. Journal of Counseling Psychology60(4): 508–519.
28.
LauBHPChanCLWNgSM (2020) Self-compassion buffers the adverse mental health impacts of COVID-19-related threats: Results from a cross-sectional survey at the first peak of Hong Kong’s outbreak. Frontiers in Psychiatry11: 585270.
29.
LaurenceauJPBarrettLFPietromonacoPR (1998) Intimacy as an interpersonal process: The importance of self-disclosure, partner disclosure, and perceived partner responsiveness in interpersonal exchanges. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology74(5): 1238–1251.
30.
LazarusRSFolkmanS (1984) Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer Publishing Company.
31.
LeeJRajtmajerSSrivatsavayaE, et al. (2023) Online self-disclosure, social support, and user engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. ACM Transactions on Social Computing6(3–4): 1–31.
32.
LeiYBaiX (2022) Gaze, Consumption and Construction”: A General Review of “Unorganized Organizational Power” through the Network Public Opinion Caused by “Epidemiological investigation. Chinese Journal of Journalism and Communication44(11): 61–78.
33.
LindsayEKCreswellJD (2019) Mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation: Perspectives from Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT). Current Opinion in Psychology28: 120–125.
34.
LivingstonJDBoydJE (2010) Correlates and consequences of internalized stigma for people living with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Social Science & Medicine71(12): 2150–2161.
35.
LuomaJBChwylC (2022) Interpersonal mechanisms for the maintenance of self-criticism: Expressive suppression, emotion expression, and self-concealment. Current Psychology41(6): 4027–4040.
36.
LuomaJBPlattMG (2015) Shame, self-criticism, self-stigma, and compassion in acceptance and commitment therapy. Current Opinion in Psychology2: 97–101.
37.
MajorBO’BrienLT (2005) The social psychology of stigma. Annual Review of Psychology56: 393–421.
38.
MajorBGramzowRH (1999) Abortion as stigma: Cognitive and emotional implications of concealment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology77(4): 735.
39.
MatosMMcEwanKKanovskýM, et al. (2022) Compassion protects mental health and social safeness during the COVID-19 pandemic across 21 countries. Mindfulness13(4): 863–880.
40.
McLarenTPeterLJTomczykS, et al. (2023) The seeking mental health care model: Prediction of help-seeking for depressive symptoms by stigma and mental illness representations. BMC Public Health23(1): 69.
41.
NajafianSDrawsTBarileF, et al. (2021) Exploring user concerns about disclosing location and emotion information in group recommendations. In: Proceedings of the 32nd ACM conference on hypertext and social media, New York, NY, USA, 30 August–2 September, pp.155–164.
42.
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (U.S.) (2020) Mental health and coping during COVID-19. Available at: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/85738 (accessed 23 September 2023).
43.
NeffKD (2003) The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity2(3): 223–250.
44.
NeffKDWhittakerTAKarlA (2017) Examining the factor structure of the self-compassion scale in four distinct populations: Is the use of a total scale score justified?Journal of Personality Assessment99(6): 596–607.
45.
NewheiserAKBarretoM (2014) Hidden costs of hiding stigma: Ironic interpersonal consequences of concealing a stigmatized identity in social interactions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology52: 58–70.
46.
PennebakerJWFrancisMEBoothRJ (2001) Linguistic inquiry and word count: LIWC 2001. Mahway: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates71(2001): 2001.
47.
SahooSMehraASuriV, et al. (2020) Lived experiences of the corona survivors (patients admitted in COVID wards): A narrative real-life documented summaries of internalized guilt, shame, stigma, anger. Asian Journal of Psychiatry53: 102187.
48.
SawaguchiENakamuraSWatanabeK, et al. (2022) COVID-19-related stigma and its relationship with mental wellbeing: A cross-sectional analysis of a cohort study in Japan. Frontiers in Public Health10: 1010720.
49.
SeyedAlinaghiSAfsahiAMShahidiR, et al. (2023) Social stigma during COVID-19: A systematic review. Sage Open Medicine11: 20503121231208273.
50.
ShaniMWübbeltK (2025) Coping with long-COVID stigma: The role of self-compassion and self-coldness. Health Psychology Open12: 20551029251349409.
51.
SheehanLOexleNArmasSA, et al. (2019) Benefits and risks of suicide disclosure. Social Science & Medicine223: 16–23.
52.
StoreyVCO’LearyDE (2022) Text analysis of evolving emotions and sentiments in COVID-19 Twitter communication. Cognitive Computation16(4): 1834–1857.
53.
SuYXueJLiuX, et al. (2020) Examining the impact of COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan and Lombardy: A psycholinguistic analysis on Weibo and Twitter. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health17(12): 4552.
54.
TamblingRRRussellBSFendrichM, et al. (2023) Predictors of mental health help-seeking during COVID-19: Social support, emotion regulation, and mental health symptoms. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research50(1): 68–79.
55.
WallerJMarlowLAWardleJ (2007) The association between knowledge of HPV and feelings of stigma, shame and anxiety. Sexually Transmitted Infections83(2): 155–159.
56.
WangXLiXZhouG (2024) The Power of Loving Yourself: The Role of Self-Compassion in the Relationship Between Self-Stigma and Psychological Distress in People With Hepatitis B. Stigma and Health.
WasimATruongJBakshiS, et al. (2023) A systematic review of fear, stigma, and mental health outcomes of pandemics. Journal of Mental Health32(5): 920–934.
59.
WongCCYKneeCRNeighborsC, et al. (2019) Hacking stigma by loving yourself: A mediated-moderation model of self-compassion and stigma. Mindfulness10(3): 415–433.
60.
WongCCYMakWWLiaoKYH (2016) Self-compassion: A potential buffer against affiliate stigma experienced by parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. Mindfulness7(6): 1385–1395.
61.
WuYXiaoHYangF (2021) Government information disclosure and citizen coproduction during COVID-19 in China. Governance35(4): 1005–1027.
62.
YuanKHuangXLYanW, et al. (2022) A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of stigma in infectious diseases, including COVID-19: A call to action. Molecular Psychiatry27(1): 19–33.
63.
ZhangXLuanYTangY, et al. (2025) Perceived social support and self-stigma as factors of COVID-19 booster vaccination behavior and intention via cognitive coping and emotion regulation among people infected with COVID-19 in Hong Kong. BMC Public Health25(1): 659.
