Self-compassion and Psychological Resilience Among Adolescents and Young Adults

TLDR

Self‑compassion is an adaptive response to personal inadequacies, yet prior studies have focused only on adults. The study assessed self‑compassion in 235 adolescents and 287 young adults. Self‑compassion was strongly linked to well‑being in both adolescents and adults, predicted by family and cognitive factors, and partially mediated their effect on well‑being, indicating it as a promising intervention target for teens with negative self‑views.

Abstract

Self-compassion is an adaptive way of relating to the self when considering personal inadequacies or difficult life circumstances. However, prior research has only examined self-compassion among adults. The current study examined self-compassion among adolescents (N = 235; Mage = 15.2) and included a sample of young adults as a comparison group (N = 287; Mage = 21.1). Results indicated that self-compassion was strongly associated with well-being among adolescents as well as adults. In addition, family and cognitive factors were identified as predictors of individual differences in self-compassion. Finally, self-compassion was found to partially mediate the link between family/cognitive factors and well-being. Findings suggest that self-compassion may be an effective intervention target for teens suffering from negative self-views.