title: Self-Compassion, Emotion Regulation and Stress among Australian Psychologists: Testing an Emotion Regulation Model of Self-Compassion Using Structural Equation Modeling.
abstract: Psychologists tend to report high levels of occupational stress, with serious implications for themselves, their clients, and the discipline as a whole. Recent research suggests that self-compassion is a promising construct for psychologists in terms of its ability to promote psychological wellbeing and resilience to stress; however, the potential benefits of self-compassion are yet to be thoroughly explored amongst this occupational group. Additionally, while a growing body of research supports self-compassion as a key predictor of psychopathology, understanding of the processes by which self-compassion exerts effects on mental health outcomes is limited. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test an emotion regulation model of self-compassion and stress among psychologists, including postgraduate trainees undertaking clinical work (n = 198). Self-compassion significantly negatively predicted emotion regulation difficulties and stress symptoms. Support was also found for our preliminary explanatory model of self-compassion, which demonstrates the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties in the self-compassion-stress relationship. The final self-compassion model accounted for 26.2% of variance in stress symptoms. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Finlay-Jones
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Clare S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Kane
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001315:Australia; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011584:Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*