Analysis of the Predictive Role of Self-Compassion on Emotional Distress during COVID-19 Lockdown

María Elena Gutiérrez-Hernández, Luisa Fernanda Fanjul Rodríguez, Alicia Díaz Megolla, Cristián Oyanadel and Wenceslao Peñate Castro
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María Elena Gutiérrez-Hernández: Department of Medicine, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35001 Las Palmas, Spain
Luisa Fernanda Fanjul Rodríguez: Department of Medicine, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), 35001 Las Palmas, Spain
Alicia Díaz Megolla: Department of Education, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35001 Las Palmas, Spain
Cristián Oyanadel: Department of Psychology, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4030000, Chile
Wenceslao Peñate Castro: Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: Research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health burden worldwide. Most studies have focused on the factors associated with a higher risk of mental health problems, and only a few studies have looked at the potential protective factors. The general objective of this study was to determine whether self-compassion has a protective effect against the risk of mental health problems and especially on perceived infectability. If so, we intended to determine which of the three specific facets of self-compassion (i.e., mindfulness vs. over-identification; self-kindness vs. self-judgment; common humanity vs. isolation;) has the greatest weight in predicting emotional distress. We conducted a cross-sectional study through an online survey completed by 855 participants in Spain. Results confirmed that the three facets of self-compassion reduce the negative correlation between perceived infectability and emotional distress, diminishing its role in predicting emotional distress. These results are discussed in relation to the protective role of self-compassion and the need to further explore the variables associated with a lower risk of mental problems derived from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Keywords: mindfulness; mental health; emotional disorders; self-compassion; perceived infectability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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