A cross-sectional and longitudinal study on the mediation effect of positive and negative affects in the relationship between self-compassion and resilience in early adolescents

Abstract

Self-compassion and resilience, though distinct, have been mainly independently explored in adolescents with links to various well-being and mental health outcomes. This study simultaneously investigates the temporal and longitudinal contributions of self-compassion to resilience by exploring potential mediation roles of positive and negative affects in early adolescents. The sample of the study consists of early adolescents studying in secondary school institutions in Turkey. The first-wave data (T1) was collected in May 2023, involving 259 students aged 10–12 (M = 10.92, SD = 0.70). The second-wave data (T2) was collected in September 2023 from 253 participants (M = 11.26, SD = 0.71). The results revealed that self-compassion, positive affect and negative affect predicted current and future resilience. The mediation analysis showed partial mediating roles of positive and negative affect in the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between self-compassion and resilience. This suggests that interventions focusing on enhancing self-compassion, with the potential to increase positive affect and reduce negative affect, could positively impact both current and future resilience in early adolescents.