Self-compassion and Adolescents' Positive and Negative Cognitive Reactions to Daily Life Problems

Peter Muris*, Henry Otgaar, Cor Meesters, Amber Heutz, Michelle van den Hombergh

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objective To examine the relationship between self-compassion and positive and negative cognitive reactions to daily life problems in a sample of 117 adolescents aged 14-19 years.

Method Participants completed a survey containing the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the Adolescents' Reactions to Adversity Questionnaire - a self-developed scale for measuring cognitive responses to hypothetical scenarios describing daily life problems of young people (e.g., failing an important test, breaking up with a friend), and measures of neuroticism and self-esteem (control variables).

Results Self-compassion as indexed by the SCS total score was found to be associated with higher levels of positive cognitive reactions and lower levels of negative cognitive reactions. These relations remained present when controlling for neuroticism and self-esteem. Further analyses revealed a quite differential pattern of results for the compassionate (self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness) and uncompassionate (self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification) components of the SCS.

Conclusions This study indicates that self-compassion is a relevant construct for understanding adolescents' cognitive responses to daily problems and yields new evidence for our critical point that it is inappropriate to use the total self-compassion score in a context of protection and resilience against life stress.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1433-1444
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Child and Family Studies
Volume28
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2019

Keywords

  • Self-compassion
  • Compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding
  • Cognitive reactions to problems
  • Adolescents
  • Self-esteem
  • Neuroticism
  • CHILDRENS AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
  • SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
  • GENDER-DIFFERENCES
  • PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES
  • COPING RESPONSES
  • SCALE
  • VALIDATION
  • DEPRESSION
  • QUESTIONNAIRE
  • PERSONALITY

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