My inner perfectionist and nasty side! Self-compassion, emotional health, and subjective well-being in college students

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the mediating effect of self-compassion on the relationship between dysfunctional parent modes (i.e., punitive and demanding parent mode) and emotional health (i.e., emotional distress) and subjective well-being in college students. The sample consisted of 395 college students (65 % female) from different public universities in Turkey, ranging in age from 18 to 44 years (mean age = 21.55, SD = 2.83). Structural equation modeling was used to examine whether self-compassion mediated the relationship between dysfunctional parent modes and emotional distress and subjective well-being. The results showed that dysfunctional parent modes significantly predicted emotional distress, but did not predict subjective well-being. Additionally, self-compassion was found to be predicted by dysfunctional parent modes. The findings also revealed that self-compassion mediated the relationship between dysfunctional parent modes and emotional distress and subjective well-being in college students. These results highlight the importance of self-compassion as a resilience factor in promoting emotional health and subjective well-being among college students. Therefore, incorporating self-compassion into the therapeutic process may be useful in improving mental health and well-being.