The influence of self-compassion on emotional well-being among early and older adolescent males and females.
Self-compassion has been associated with well-being in adult samples, but has rarely been assessed in adolescents. In this study, 90 students ages 11-18 completed an online survey assessing self-compassion, life satisfaction, perceived stress and positive and negative affect. Findings indicated that older female adolescents had lower self-compassion than either older male adolescents or early adolescents of either gender, and self-compassion was associated significantly with all dimensions of emotional well-being with the exception of positive affect. Additionally, phase of adolescence, but not gender, was found to moderate the relationship between self-compassion and dimensions of well-being; for older adolescents, the inverse relationship between self-compassion and negative affect was stronger. Lastly, the influence of the various components of self-compassion was investigated and discussed.
Program on Integrative Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of North Carolina, CB #7200, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Karen
K
Bluth
Department of Child and Family Studies, University of Tennessee, 1215 W. Cumberland Ave., Knoxville, TN, USA.
Priscilla W
PW
Blanton
adolescence; emotional well-being; gender; self-compassion; self-compassion subscales