title: Does kindness matter? Self-compassion buffers the negative impact of diabetes-distress on HbA1c.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Higher self-compassion is associated with mental and physical health benefits in both healthy and chronically ill populations. The current study investigated the role of self-compassion in predicting depression, diabetes-specific distress and HbA1c in patients with diabetes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the specific operationalization of negative emotionality that best predicted HbA1c and to test whether self-compassion would buffer HbA1c in patients with diabetes against the negative effects of distress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with diabetes (n = 110) completed measures assessing trait self-compassion, depression and diabetes-distress. HbA1c results were obtained through medical records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As expected, diabetes-specific distress was a better predictor of HbA1c than depression; self-compassion moderated the relationship between distress and HbA1c such that higher distress predicted higher HbA1c at lower levels of self-compassion, but not at higher levels of self-compassion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In addition to further demonstrating the link between distress and metabolic outcomes, these findings suggest that self-compassion might buffer patients from the negative metabolic consequences of diabetes-distress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Friis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Cutfield
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Consedine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D000066498:Emotional Adjustment; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human