Abstract
The present study employed a longitudinal design to examine the moderating role of self-compassion in the relationship between weight/shape concerns and the outcomes of eating pathology and stress in a diverse college student population. Participants were 765 students who completed measures of self-compassion, weight/shape concerns, eating pathology, and stress over their first 2years of college. We tested whether self-compassion attenuated the relation between weight/shape concerns at the beginning of college and eating pathology, and stress later in college. For the first year of college, self-compassion significantly moderated the relationship of weight/shape concerns and eating pathology. For participants who were low in self-compassion, there was a stronger relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating; whereas, for individuals high in self-compassion, there was a weaker relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating. However, these findings did not replicate for the second year of college. Self-compassion also significantly moderated the relationship between weight/shape concerns and stress for the first year of college, though the relationship was complex and warrants further research. Our findings suggest that high self-compassion may reduce the likelihood that undergraduate students with weight/shape concerns will engage in disordered eating behavior in the first year of college. They also highlight the influence of self-compassion on general stress.
Published Version
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