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Age and Gender Differences in the Associations of Self-Compassion and Emotional Well-being in A Large Adolescent Sample

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Abstract

Adolescence is a challenging developmental period marked with declines in emotional well-being; however, self-compassion has been suggested as a protective factor. This cross-sectional survey study (N = 765, grades 7th to 12th; 53 % female; 4 % Hispanic ethnicity; 64 % White and 21 % Black) examined whether adolescents’ self-compassion differed by age and gender, and secondly, whether its associations with emotional well-being (perceived stress, life satisfaction, distress intolerance, depressive symptoms, and anxiety) also differed by age and gender. The findings indicated that older females had the lowest self-compassion levels compared to younger females or all-age males. Self-compassion was associated with all emotional well-being measures, and gender and/or age moderated the associations with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Among older adolescents, self-compassion had a greater protective effect on anxiety for boys than for girls. Additionally, older adolescents with low and average self-compassion had greater levels of depressive symptoms than those with high self-compassion. These results may inform for whom and at what age self-compassion interventions may be implemented to protect adolescents from further declines in emotional well-being.

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Funding

This study was funded in part by North Carolina Translational and Clinical Research Institute (awarded to Dr. Bluth) and by NICCH/NIH T32AT003378-04 (for Dr. Campo).

Authors’ Contributions

KB conceived of and designed the study, directed data collection, and coordinated and participated in drafting the manuscript; RC conducted statistical analyses, interpretation of data, and participated in drafting the manuscript; WF and SG participated in data collection and drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, CB 7200, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 27599, USA

    Karen Bluth, Rebecca A. Campo & Susan A. Gaylord

  2. Department of Allied Sciences, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 321 S Columbia St., Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    William S. Futch

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  1. Karen Bluth
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  2. Rebecca A. Campo
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  3. William S. Futch
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  4. Susan A. Gaylord
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Correspondence to Karen Bluth.

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Dr. Bluth declares that she is the co-creator of Making Friends with Yourself: A Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Teens and Young Adults. Other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Bluth, K., Campo, R.A., Futch, W.S. et al. Age and Gender Differences in the Associations of Self-Compassion and Emotional Well-being in A Large Adolescent Sample. J Youth Adolescence 46, 840–853 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0567-2

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