Self-compassion, social rank, and psychological distress in athletes of varying competitive levels

•We explored social rank and self-compassion measures in a competitively diverse sample of athletes and non-athletes.•We anticipated that athletes competing at a higher level would report less self-compassion and higher fears of compassion.•There was no difference in any measure of compassion amongst groups.•Self-compassion, fears of compassion (for self), and feelings of inadequacy predicted psychological distress in athletes.•Findings suggest compassion-based approaches to treating psychological distress may be appropriate in athletes.