Self-compassion and mental health in older adults : the mediating role of emotion regulation skills : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
Loading...
Files
Date
2024
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
The author
Abstract
Promoting wellbeing and reducing emotional distress (depression and anxiety) in older adults is a growing imperative worldwide. One promising psychological factor that may enhance the complete mental health of older adults is self-compassion. Research in younger adults indicates that self-compassion protects against emotional distress, while also promoting wellbeing. However, limited research has examined self-compassion’s benefits in older adulthood. Additionally, despite the promise of self-compassion, little is known about how self-compassion creates beneficial mental health outcomes. Emotion regulation skills is one potential process underlying self-compassion. However the evidence for this is preliminary for the mental health outcomes of emotional distress and unclear for wellbeing. This research explored associations that self-compassion had with the outcomes of wellbeing, depression and anxiety in older adults, as well as whether emotion regulation skills mediated each of these relationships. Older adults aged 65 or greater (N = 132) were recruited through convenience sampling. The survey consisted of measures for self-compassion, emotion regulation skills, depression, anxiety, and wellbeing. Three separate cross-sectional mediation models were conducted using the PROCESS macro in SPSS to assess both self-compassion’s relationship with the corresponding health outcomes of wellbeing, depression and anxiety, as well as to examine the role of emotion regulation skills as mediator in each of these three relationships. Self-compassion had a significant positive correlation with wellbeing, and a significant negative correlation with depression and anxiety. The three mediation models indicated that emotion regulation skills significantly mediated the relationship that self-compassion had with wellbeing, depression and anxiety. This research suggests that self-compassion is a valuable resource for promoting the complete mental health of older adults. Older adults with higher self-compassion tended to have higher wellbeing and less symptoms of emotional distress. This research extended the application of an emotion regulation theory of self-compassion to older adults, demonstrating that emotion regulation may be a possible process underlying not only self-compassion’s association with emotional distress but also wellbeing.