How Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Relate to the Inclination of Seeking Support and to Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Levels
Eleni Stogianni, Eta Lin
Psi Beta Research Journal November 15, 2022 DOI: 10.54581/parf6856 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Community college students recruited from a local community college |
| Measures | Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Self-Compassion Scale |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors predicted that community college students who were more likely to seek support from others or engage in self-care would experience lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The abstract states that the findings provide insight into offering mindfulness and self-compassion training on college campuses, but does not report the actual results. |
Abstract
Due to the rise of positive psychology, mindfulness and self-compassion have become part of Western culture, and research on these topics is growing at an exponential rate. Mindfulness and self-compassion help an individual recognize, accept, investigate, and determine the cause of suffering. When people are faced with difficult life struggles such as symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, practitioners of mindfulness and self-compassion often respond with kindness and self-love, recognizing that imperfection is part of human nature (Neff, 2011). With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic such as adjusting to virtual campuses and increasing isolation, students, in particular, are experiencing more difficulty in coping with this unprecedented global situation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between mindfulness and self-compassion with the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress of community college students. We predicted that students who were more likely to seek out support from others and/or engage in self-care practices will experience lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The participants were recruited from a local community college and they completed an online survey, which included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1994), Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Baer et al. 2012), Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003a), and demographic information. Our findings provide important insight into providing self-care practices such as mindfulness and self-compassion training on college campuses to help students develop and strengthen their emotional awareness, resiliency,and overall well-being.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology May 3, 2018
- Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators The Journal of Positive Psychology April 11, 2012
- Impact of mindfulness and self-compassion on anxiety and depression: The mediating role of resilience International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology March 11, 2021
- Mindfulness, self-compassion, and savoring: Factors that explain the relation between perceived social support and well-being 2020
and 3 more in the library