The Mediating Role of Self-compassion in Student Psychological Health

Abstract

Objective: Self-compassion is an adaptive emotion-regulation strategy characterised by self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. This cross-sectional study examined the mediating role of self-compassion in student psychological health. Method: An international sample of 306 tertiary students completed measures of self-compassion, well-being (satisfaction with life, flourishing, and positive affect), and distress (stress, negative affect, burnout, and depression). Results: Correlational analyses indicated that higher self-compassion was associated with higher well-being and lower distress. A series of multiple regression analyses indicated that self-compassion mediated the relationships between stress and depression, negative affect and depression, burnout and depression, and aggregate distress and aggregate well-being. Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that self-compassion may be a useful addition to interventions aimed at mitigating student distress and improving student well-being.