engleski

Does self-compassion protect adolescents from distress? The relationship between gender, self- compassion, and psychological distress in adolescents

Self-compassion and its protective effects are of special importance for adolescents because of their vulnerability. There is also well- established gender asymmetry in the prevalence of internalized mental health problems. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive contribution of gender and self- compassion in the explanation of symptoms of psychological distress in adolescence. The study has included 554 adolescents (195 male), with a mean age of 16.32. Self-compassion Scale (SCS, Neff, 2003) was used to access the level of self-compassion and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS- 21, Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995) was used to access symptoms of psychological distress in adolescents. The main results of the study showed that combined, adolescents’ gender, age, and level of self-compassion explained 34% of the variance of psychological distress in adolescents, with self- compassion being the strongest predictor. A separate model was tested in order to examine the predictive contribution of each self-compassion subscale (self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, self-criticism, isolation, overidentification). Obtained results have implications for flourishing adolescents' positive mental health. Possibilities for the prevention of mental health problems are discussed, emphasizing who can gain the most from self-compassion interventions in order to promote positive mental health in adolescents.

self-compassion ; adolescents ; depression ; anxiety ; stress ; prevention

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