title: Self-compassion, attitudes to ageing and indicators of health and well-being among midlife women.
abstract: Attitudes to ageing exert a powerful influence on health and well-being, yet surprisingly little research has examined factors that contribute to the formation of these attitudes. The aim of this study was to consider the potential role of self-compassion in predicting attitudes to ageing, which in turn contribute to positive and negative mental well-being and self-reported health.
  
  
  
  This was a cross-sectional study using data from 517 midlife women aged between 40 and 60. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the relationships between self-compassion, three facets of attitudes to ageing and well-being outcomes.
  
  
  
  Together, self-compassion and attitudes to ageing explained between 36% and 67% of the variance in well-being. Self-compassion was a strong predictor of attitudes towards psychosocial loss, physical change and psychological growth (β range: .22-.51). Furthermore, the relationship between self-compassion and well-being outcomes was partially mediated by attitudes to physical change.
  
  
  
  Self-compassion may be a modifiable internal resource to promote healthy attitudes to ageing in midlife, when ageing becomes personally relevant. Moreover, attitudes towards physical change may help explain how self-compassion promotes well-being among midlife women.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychological Sciences, Redmond Barry Building , University of Melbourne , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychological Sciences, Redmond Barry Building , University of Melbourne , Melbourne , Australia.|b Centre for Women's Mental Health , Royal Women's Hospital , Parkville , Australia.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychological Sciences, Redmond Barry Building , University of Melbourne , Melbourne , Australia.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: b Centre for Women's Mental Health , Royal Women's Hospital , Parkville , Australia.|c Department of Psychiatry , University of Melbourne, Melbuorne , Australia.|d School of Psychological Sciences , Monash University, Clayton , Australia.
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bei
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychiatry , University of Melbourne, Melbuorne , Australia.|d School of Psychological Sciences , Monash University, Clayton , Australia.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Judd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: attitudes; positive psychology; resilience; self-compassion; well-being