Association between self-compassion and cyber aggression in the COVID-19 context: roles of attribution and public stigma.

Self-compassion is negatively associated with aggressive behaviors. However, the association between self-compassion and cyber aggression toward stigmatized people (e.g., people infected with COVID-19) has not been investigated in the COVID-19 context and the mechanism underlying this association remains underexplored. On the basis of emotion regulation theory and attribution theory, this study examined the indirect effects of self-compassion on cyber aggression toward people infected with COVID-19 through attribution and public stigma of COVID-19. Data were collected from 1162 Chinese college students (415 male, mean age = 21.61 years). Participants completed an online questionnaire including measurement of the key variables and basic demographic information. Results indicated that self-compassion was negatively associated with cyber aggression through the lower attribution of COVID-19 and lower public stigma of COVID-19. A sequential pathway from the attribution of COVID-19 to public stigma of COVID-19 was identified in the relationship between self-compassion and cyber aggression. Our findings are consistent with emotion regulation theory and attribution theory, which posit that emotion regulation strategies are associated with interpersonal mistreatment through cognitive pathways. These findings suggest that emotional self-regulation strategies can be used to reduce cyber aggression toward stigmatized people by reducing attribution and public stigma in the COVID-19 context. Self-compassion improvement could be target for the interventions aiming at alleviating public stigma and interpersonal mistreatment toward stigmatized people.

What Can Help Students Cope with COVID-19? The Contribution of Psychological Capital, Selfcompassion, and Spirituality to Subjective Well-being.

Objectives: In this research, we examined the academic and psychological coping of post-secondary students during the early stages of COVID-19. The main goal was to investigate correlations involving self- compassion, spirituality, psychological capital, and subjective well-being, and evaluate the mediating role of self-compassion and spirituality in the relationship between psychological capital and subjective well-being.Methods: We had 257 participants (ages 19-59) complete 5 questionnaires: demographic and academic information, Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Subjective Well-Being Index, Spiritual Intelligence Self- Assessment Inventory, and Self-Compassion Index. Results: We found a strong positive correlation between psychological capital, self-compassion, and subjective well-being. However, spirituality failed to show statistically significant correlations with self-compassion and subjective well-being, with only weak correlations with psychological capital. Self-compassion positively mediated the relationship between psychological capital and subjective well-being, but not spirituality. Conclusion: These findings indicate the role of positive psychological resources of post-secondary students in coping with a difficult situation like COVID-19.

Self-Compassion and COVID-19 Stress in Turkish Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a time when both physical and mental health are affected. Due to the increased workload and crucial strains brought on by the pandemic, healthcare workers (HW) have been disproportionately affected by this period of time. Understanding the stress faced by HW, identifying the elements that impact stress, and making reinforcements in these areas are deemed critical in order to avoid disruption of health services and protect public health. The aim of this research is to measure the COVID-19 stress level in HW and to evaluate its relationship with self-compassion and psychological resilience. The study included 281 HW who volunteered to participate and actively served in pandemic services. The researchers used a sociodemographic information form, the Coronavirus Stress Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, and the Self-Compassion Scale in the study. The data were collected online, and analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 and PROCESS applications. In the second year of the pandemic, HW are still facing the burden of COVID-19. In our observations in this study, we see that COVID-19 stress has a negative relationship with self-compassion and resilience. Self-compassion and resilience account for 20% of COVID-19 stress variation. The connection between self-compassion and COVID-19 stress is partially mediated by resilience. It is important to develop these skills, as psychological resilience and self-compassion skills are effective in maintaining HW' mental health.

Self-Compassion and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of Greek College Students.

The present study examined the relationship between self-compassion (SC) and emotional well-being in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical framework for the study was that SC, defined as an understanding and caring response to one's suffering and limitations, may serve as a protective factor against negative mental health outcomes. A sample of college students (N = 101) completed self-report measures of SC, depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction and subjective happiness. Data were analysed using regression analysis to examine the prediction of emotional well-being variables by SC and moderation analysis to examine the moderating effect of SC on the relationships between emotional well-being variables. The study's results confirmed the hypothesis that SC would predict emotional well-being. SC significantly predicted all variables examined, including depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction (LS) and subjective happiness (SH). However, SC did not moderate the relationships between these variables. Isolation significantly moderated the relationship between SH and depression among college students. These findings support the idea that SC may serve as a protective factor against negative mental health outcomes and suggest that interventions aimed at increasing SC may improve mental health and overall well-being in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed to understand these relationships' mechanisms and the factors that may influence them.

Nurses' self-esteem, self-compassion and psychological resilience during COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: This study aimed to identify self-esteem, self-compassion and psychological resilience among staff nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional survey design. METHODS: The study was conducted on January 2022 (during the third wave in Qatar). Anonymous data were collected through an online survey using Microsoft forms from 300 nurses in 14 health facilities in Qatar. Socio-demographic information, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form were used to collect the data. Correlation, t-test and ANOVA analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Participants expressed a high level of resilience, self-esteem and self-compassion. Resilience scores were positively and significantly correlated with self-esteem and self-compassion. The education level of nurses was a statistically significant contributing factor to self-esteem and resilience.

Cognitive Self- Compassion (CSC) Online Intervention Program: A Pilot Study to Enhance the Self-Esteem of Adolescents Exposed to Parental Intimate Partner Violence.

Children exposed to parental intimate partner violence (IPV) are at high risk in terms of their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, online interventions are imperative in a crisis situation. Empirical studies indicate a significant relationship between self-esteem and children exposed to parental IPV. This research aimed to develop, and pilot test an online intervention program to enhance the self-esteem of Adolescents exposed to parental IPV. Conklin's developmental model was used to develop the online program and the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory scale, interview, and focus group discussion was used to understand the key issues. The developed Cognitive Self Compassion (CSC) Online Intervention Program that integrates the theories and techniques of social cognitive theory and self-compassion was implemented over 6 weeks at a rate of 60 min per session to the 10 participants. Results of the single-group pilot experiment showed a significant difference in the pre & post-test scores of the participants. The self-esteem of the adolescents exposed to parental IPV was significantly enhanced after undergoing the CSC Online Intervention Program.

Self-compassion buffers the impact of learned helplessness on adverse mental health during COVID-19 lockdown.

BACKGROUND: Learned helplessness may be the underlying cause of poor mental health status among college students during the COVID-19 lockdown, and self-compassion as a positive psychological quality may influence the link between learned helplessness and mental health. METHODS: A sample of 869 Chinese college students (443 male and 426 female), with a mean age of 20.03 (SD = 1.68), completed the Learned Helplessness Scale (LHS), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), and DASS-21. The moderating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between learned helplessness and anxiety, depression, and stress were calculated. RESULTS: The interaction term between learned helplessness and self-compassion has a significant coefficient on anxiety, depression, and stress, pointing out self-compassion as a moderator of the association between learned helplessness and adverse mental health. LIMITATIONS: In the absence of longitudinal data or experimental manipulations, cross-sectional methods cannot verify causal conclusions among the study variables. The analysing results are based only on self-reported data. DISCUSSION: The present study contributes to a deeper understanding of how learned helplessness and self-compassion during COVID-19 contribute to adverse mental health. The findings suggest that adverse mental health during lockdown is significantly associated with learned helplessness and that self-compassion can buffer this effect, contributing to future psychotherapy and clinical research. Future studies should examine the relationship through a longitudinal design to sort out whether self-compassion is a protective factor against learned helplessness or a moderator of the effects of learned helplessness on mental health.

Self-Compassion and Resilience in a National Sample of Nursing Students Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Nationwide, nursing students experienced multiple interruptions in learning because of the pandemic. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on resilience and self-compassion. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to examine pandemic-related factors, resilience, and self-compassion using the Brief Resilience and Self-Compassion scales. The majority of participants (n = 259, 73.4 percent) described declining mental health. There was a moderate relationship between resilience, self-compassion, and age (r = .30, n = 353, p = .00/r = .290, n = 353, p < .01). Resilience and self-compassion are integral to student success. Strategies to support students' mental and physical health are discussed.

Becoming an inner ally: the compassionate minds approach to self-compassion - an online programme.

A rapidly growing body of evidence indicates the enormous psychological burden of working in health care on nurses and other health professionals that is resulting in high levels of psychological problems. These will have profound effects on individuals and long-term ramifications for healthcare systems. Effective interventions that can counter the adverse psychological effects of caring during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are urgently required. With this in mind, the authors have created an online self-compassion programme to advance the health and wellbeing of the nursing workforce through developing proactive evidence-based preventive teaching and learning strategies to promote compassion satisfaction and prevent compassion fatigue by improving self-compassion. The online programme is underpinned by compassionate minds theories and research.

Primary Care Research Is Hard to Do During COVID-19: Challenges and Solutions.

Conducting research in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic is hard, due to baseline stresses on primary care, which have been compounded by the pandemic. We acknowledge and validate primary care researchers' frustrations. Using our experience on over 15 individual projects during the pandemic we identify 3 key challenges to conducting primary care research: (1) practice delivery trickle-down effects, (2) limited/changing resources and procedures for research, and (3) a generally tense milieu in US society during the pandemic. We present strategies, informed by a set of questions, to help researchers decide how to address these challenges observed during our studies. In order to overcome and grow from these challenging times we encourage normalization and self-compassion, and encourage researchers and funders to embrace pragmatic and adaptive research designs as the circumstances with COVID-19 evolve over time.

Emotion-Focused Mobile App for Promoting Self-Compassion, Self-Protection, and Self-Criticism.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our daily lives and restricted access to traditional psychological interventions. Hence there is an immediate and growing demand for accessible and scalable mental health solutions. Emotion-focused training for self-compassion and self-protection was developed and distributed using mobile phone technologies, and its effectiveness was tested. The available research sample consisted of 97 participants with a mean age of 26.06 years and a standard deviation of 10.53. Participants using the mobile app underwent a 14-day program aimed at reducing self-criticism while increasing self-compassion and self-protection. Pre- and post-measurements were collected. The results showed a statistically significant medium effect on self-compassion, self-criticism, and self-protection performance and a significant small effect on self-protection distress. The finding that a 14-day mobile app was able to foster well-being in the form of self-compassion, self-protection, and self-criticism is promising. It indicates the potential for individuals to obtain help through the use of remote tools such as MHapps for a fraction of the usual cost, at their own pace, and without other restrictions.

Effects of Yoga and Mindfulness Programs on Self-Compassion in Medical Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Intervention Study.

Stress among healthcare workers (HCWs) increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We aimed to determine whether a yoga and mindfulness program could alleviate burnout and other psychological and physical distress in HCWs, and how this might affect their empathy for patients. A weekly one-hour yoga and mindfulness program was conducted for three months in 2021. Participants were 18 consenting HCWs and, the final analysis included 13 participants. They responded to online questionnaires before and after the program. We measured salivary cortisol levels before and after the program on the first and last days. Self-measured pulse rates (PRs) were taken before and after each session, which decreased significantly in both cases (before, after the first program: 72, 65 bpm, p < 0.05; before, after the last program: 75, 66, p < 0.05), but salivary cortisol levels did not change. No significant changes were observed in Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Sense of Coherence, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Self-compassion Scale, or Jefferson Scale of Empathy. However, common humanity, a subscale of self-compassion, increased significantly (before the first program: 5.6, after the last program: 6.5, p < 0.05), and over-identification decreased significantly (7.9, 6.7, p < 0.01). Yoga and mindfulness programs may help improve the sense of common humanity and reduce over-identification in HCWs.

Mediation of Self-Compassion on Pathways from Stress to Psychopathologies among Japanese Workers.

As awareness of mental health increases worldwide, how to improve mental health has begun to be discussed in many countries. Stress is known to cause diverse physical and mental health problems, including psychopathologies. On the other hand, our previous studies identified that self-compassion, kindness and understanding towards oneself are key components for good mental health in many populations, including Japanese workers. The government reports that Japanese workers suffer from high rates of mental health problems. However, the mechanism of how self-compassion helps their mental health remains to be evaluated. Accordingly, this study aimed to elucidate how self-compassion intervenes in pathways from stress to psychopathologies, namely depression and anxiety. One hundred and sixty-five Japanese workers completed an online survey regarding self-compassion, depression, anxiety and stress. Correlation and path analyses were conducted. These four variables were significantly inter-related. While self-compassion mediated the pathway from stress to depression, it did not mediate the pathway from stress to anxiety. These exploratory insights assist in understanding the mechanism of how self-compassion improves mental health and inform effective methods to implement self-compassion interventions to the Japanese workforce.

Self-compassion predicted joint trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A five-wave longitudinal study on Chinese college students.

OBJECTIVE: The long-term protective effect of self-compassion on mental health remained unclear in the pandemic context. This study aimed to investigate the trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms and the role of self-compassion during the pandemic. METHODS: In this one-year five-wave longitudinal study (retested every three months from February 2020 to February 2021), 494 Chinese college students completed the study through online questionnaires and provided information on depression and anxiety symptoms, self-compassion, and sociodemographic variables. Independent and joint trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms were explored by growth mixture models. Predictive effects of self-compassion on trajectories were examined by logistic regression models. RESULTS: Four and three heterogeneous latent trajectories were identified for depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Three distinct joint trajectories of depression and anxiety were determined: low symptoms group (54.0 %), mild symptoms group (34.4 %), and risk group (11.5 %). Participants with higher levels of self-compassion were more likely to follow the low symptoms trajectory of depression and anxiety symptoms (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Group heterogeneity existed in the trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms. Improving the levels of self-compassion would help to prevent and alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms. Programs based on self-compassion are encouraged to cope with the mental health challenges in the pandemic context.

Mental Health of Japanese Workers: Amotivation Mediates Self-Compassion on Mental Health Problems.

Workplace mental health is a cause for concern in many countries. Globally, 78% of the workforce experienced impairment of their mental health in 2020. In Japan, more than half of employees are mentally distressed. Previously, research has identified that self-compassion (i.e., being kind and understanding towards oneself) and work motivation were important to their mental health. However, how these three components relate to each other remains to be elucidated. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the relationship between mental health problems, self-compassion and work motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation). A cross-sectional design was employed, where 165 Japanese workers completed self-report scales regarding those three components. A correlation and path analyses were conducted. Mental health problems were positively associated with amotivation and negatively associated with age and self-compassion. While intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation did not mediate the impact of self-compassion on mental health problems, amotivation did. The findings can help managers and organizational psychologists help identify effective approaches to improving work mental health.

Prediction of PTSD related to COVID-19 in emergency staff based on the components of self-compassion and perceived social support.

BACKGROUND: On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. In addition to severe health problems, the disease has had a major psychological impact on the public. The aim of this research was to examine the association between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to COVID-19 in emergency staff and self-compassion and perceived social support. METHODS: Data were collected from 222 emergency staff working in two referral educational and health centers for COVID-19 affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The participants were recruited six months following the first case of hospitalization for COVID-19 in these two hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. Four questionnaires were used to measure the variables, including a researcher-made demographic checklist, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS) and the Self-Compassion Scale. RESULTS: The findings showed that age (r = 0.17, P = 0.034), self-judgment (r = 0. 36, P < 0.001), isolation (r = 0.44, P < 0.001) and over-identification (r = 0.15, P = 0.031) were associated with PTSD score, and there was also a statistically significant inverse relationship between the score of the self-kindness (r = - 0.19, P = 0.006) subscale and the overall score of PTSD in the emergency staff. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency staff have persistently faced potentially traumatic situations as first-line healthcare workers, suggesting the direness of this group's mental health. By identifying the predisposing factors of the psychological pathology under study, this research can be applied in clinical practice and provide useful information for designing special interventions and protocols for emergency staff.

Influence of Sociodemographic and Emotional Factors on the Relationship between Self-Compassion and Perceived Stress among Men Residing in Brazil during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The analysis of sociodemographic and emotional factors is essential to understanding how men perceive stress and practice self-compassion. In health crises, this problem becomes an emergency for public health. This study aimed to analyze the influence of sociodemographic and emotional factors on the relationship between self-compassion and the perceived stress of men residing in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a nationwide cross-sectional study carried out between June and December 2020 with 1006 men who completed a semi-structured electronic questionnaire. Data were collected using the snowball technique. Perceived stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), and self-compassion was assessed using the Self-Compassion Scale. Most men had low self-compassion (51.5%; n = 516) and a moderate level of perceived stress (60.9%; n = 613), while 15.9% (n = 170) had a high level of stress. The prevalence of men in the combined situation of low self-compassion and high perceived stress was 39.4% (n = 334). Living with friends had a higher prevalence of low self-compassion and high perceived stress. The prevalence of common mental disorders was high (54.3%). Men with low levels of self-compassion reported higher levels of perceived stress; however, this association was moderated by emotional and sociodemographic variables. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual and contextual factors in public policies promoting men's mental health.

The association between self-compassion in the postnatal period and difficult experiences with COVID-19 pandemic-related changes during pregnancy: An observational study for women at 1-month postnatal in Japan.

AIM: This observational study aimed to describe the rate and degree of difficult experiences with COVID-19 pandemic-related changes (DE) during pregnancy, clarify the relationship between DE and self-compassion of women postnatally, and investigate the influence of compassion from a partner (CP) and compassion from the woman's mother (CM) on this relationship. METHODS: Data from 46 1-month postnatal women in Japan were collected through a self-report questionnaire from October to December 2020. Self-compassion was measured using the Japanese version of the Self-Compassion Scale; DE, CP, and CM were measured using original questions based on prior studies. RESULTS: Almost all participants (97.8%) experienced more than one DE during pregnancy. Data analyses revealed that DE in maternity hospitals (d = 0.76), DE in social support (d = 0.53), and CM (d = 0.64) were associated with self-compassion. A two-way analysis of variance suggested that CM moderated the relationship between self-compassion and DE in preparation for the baby (η2  = 0.11) and the birth plan (η2  = 0.11), whereas CP moderated the relationship between self-compassion and DE in social support (η2  = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that self-compassion negatively correlates with DE in maternity hospitals and social support. Additionally, CM may buffer the influence of DE in preparation for the baby and the birth plan on self-compassion; moreover, CP may buffer the influence of DE in social support on self-compassion. This study highlights the importance of supporting perinatal women to adapt to COVID-19-related changes through cooperation with their families, which may increase self-compassion.

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Chinese College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study.

A longitudinal assessment of the prevalence of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and risk factors is indispensable for further prevention and/or treatment. The longitudinal web-based survey enrolled 1,164 college students in China. Measured at two time points (February and August 2020), PTSS, demographic information, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), resilience and self-compassion information were collected to explicate the prevalence and predictors of PTSS concurrently and over time. Results showed that although PTSS generally declined throughout the 6 months after the outbreak of COVID-19, the prevalence remained relatively high. Resilience and self-compassion negatively predicted PTSS concurrently and longitudinally. While subjective family socioeconomic status (SES) and ACEs at Wave 1 did not predict PTSS under COVID-19 at Wave 1, but both significantly predicted PTSS at Wave 2. Findings implicate potential targets for detecting and intervening on symptoms of trauma in this vulnerable population.

How does parent-child communication affects posttraumatic stress disorder and growth in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic? The mediating roles of self-compassion and disclosure.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that family factors play an important role in adolescent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Parent-child communication has attracted particular attention. However, it remains unclear whether parent-child communication affects PTSD and PTG via unique or shared underlying mechanisms. The study aim was to examine the effect of parent-child communication on PTSD and PTG via self-compassion and self-disclosure. METHODS: Self-report questionnaires were administered to 683 adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Open parent-child communication was positively associated with PTG and negatively associated with PTSD via two 1-step indirect paths of self-compassion and self-disclosure, and by one 2-step indirect path of self-compassion to self-disclosure. Problematic parent-child communication was negatively associated with PTG and positively associated with PTSD via two 1-step indirect paths of self-compassion and self-disclosure. LIMITATIONS: First, pandemics differ from other disasters, generalizing these findings to other traumatized populations must be cautious. Then, this was a cross-sectional study, so longitudinal effects could not be examined and causal relationships cannot be confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Different types of parent-child communication have different influencing mechanisms on PTSD and PTG. Therefore, distinct intervention strategies are needed targeted to these two psychological reactions.