The interplay between self-compassion and mindfulness in the explanation of depression and anxiety in depressed individuals
Patryk Roczon, Paweł Holas, Marzena Rusanowska, Izabela Krejtz, John B. Nezlek
Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy July 14, 2025 DOI: 10.12740/app/200079 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 344 |
| Population | 146 individuals diagnosed with depression and 198 healthy controls, mean age about 34 years |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | Self-compassion and mindfulness may each function as mediators in predicting emotional distress, with worrying also involved, and a diagnosis of clinical depression did not moderate these mediational relationships in either the main or alternative model. The authors propose that mindfulness and self-compassion relate reciprocally in explaining depression and anxiety symptoms and that both mechanisms may contribute to reducing them, a claim they say needs experimental validation. |
Abstract
Previous studies have found that self-compassion and mindfulness are negatively related to depressive and anxiety symptoms. Still, the mechanisms underlying these relationships in major depression and whether such mechanisms differ in healthy people are poorly understood. In the present study, it was examined whether mindfulness and worrying mediated relationships between self-compassion, depression, and anxiety. An alternate model with mindfulness as the predictor and self-compassion as a mediator was also examined.146 individuals who had been diagnosed as depressed (Mage = 34.49, SD = 10.14) and 198 healthy controls (Mage = 34.44, SD = 12.93) completed an online battery of questionnaires assessing self-compassion, mindfulness, worrying, trait anxiety, and depression.It was found that self-compassion and mindfulness may both function as mediators in predicting emotional distress. Diagnosis of clinical depression did not moderate the effects of mediational relationships in both the main and alternative models.These findings suggest that relationships between mindfulness and self-compassion are reciprocal in the explanation of depression and anxiety symptoms and suggest both mechanisms may contribute to the reduction of anxiety and depression, a claim that needs further experimental validation.Future research may benefit from longitudinal and experimental designs to understand causal precedence and the dynamic nature of the relationship between mindfulness and self-compassion.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |