Self-compassion In Relation Research Articles

Early Childhood Teachers’ Well-Being, Mindfulness, and Self-Compassion in Relation to Classroom Quality and Attitudes Towards Challenging Students

Early childhood teachers are instrumental in creating socially and emotionally supportive learning environments for young children. However, there is a paucity of research examining teachers’ psychosocial characteristics in relation to the dimensions of quality learning environments. Furthermore, little is known about the relationship between teachers’ psychosocial characteristics and their attitudes about children whose behavior they find challenging. The present study examined data from 35 preschool teachers’ self-reports of well-being, mindfulness, and self-compassion in relation to observations of classroom quality and ratings of semi-structured interviews about a child chosen by the teacher as most challenging. Mindfulness, self-compassion, personal efficacy, and positive affect were associated with emotional support while emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were negatively associated with emotional support. Depression was negatively associated with emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. With regard to the interview ratings, mindfulness and efficacy were positively associated with perspective-taking and sensitivity to discipline, and depersonalization was negatively associated with sensitivity to discipline. While further research is needed to ascertain causality, these results suggest that teachers’ psychosocial characteristics may impact their ability to create and maintain optimal classroom environments and supportive relationships with challenging students. Furthermore, they point to the need for research to examine professional development designed to promote mindfulness, reduce distress, and support teachers’ social and emotional competence and well-being.

Childhood Abuse and Problematic Alcohol Use in College Females: The Role of Self-compassion

A history of childhood abuse has been consistently linked to heightened risk for subsequent difficulties across the lifespan, including problematic alcohol use and adolescent sexual assault (ASA). Researchers have begun to explore the added role of a lack of self-compassion in the pathway from childhood abuse to later alcohol-related problems. The present study sought to further examine these relationships in a sample at risk for problematic alcohol consumption, undergraduate females (N = 667). It was hypothesized that a history of three forms of childhood abuse (i.e., sexual, emotional, and physical) would directly predict subsequent alcohol problems, as well as indirectly via a history of ASA and low levels of self-compassion. Using path analysis, we found that a history of childhood sexual abuse (B = .24, z = 2.17, p < .05) and childhood physical abuse (B = .16, z = 3.50, p < .05), directly predicted later alcohol problems, whereas a history of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) was indirectly related to alcohol problems via low levels of self-compassion (B = .03, z = 2.18, p < .05). Findings support the emerging literature on the impact of self-compassion in relation to trauma exposure, and suggest that compassion-based skills training may be a worthwhile treatment target for individuals with a history of CEA and comorbid substance use.

An examination of self-compassion in relation to positive psychological functioning and personality traits

This study examined the relation of self-compassion to positive psychological health and the five factor model of personality. Self-compassion entails being kind toward oneself in instances of pain or failure; perceiving one’s experiences as part of the larger human experience; and holding painful thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness. Participants were 177 undergraduates (68% female, 32% male). Using a correlational design, the study found that self-compassion had a significant positive association with self-reported measures of happiness, optimism, positive affect, wisdom, personal initiative, curiosity and exploration, agreeableness, extroversion, and conscientiousness. It also had a significant negative association with negative affect and neuroticism. Self-compassion predicted significant variance in positive psychological health beyond that attributable to personality.