Self-Compassion as a Key Factor of Subjective Happiness and Psychological Well-Being among Greek Adults during COVID-19 Lockdowns

The present study examined the association and complementary effect of self-compassion on the subjective happiness and psychological well-being of adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was based on a concurrent correlational design to examine relationships between self-compassion, subjective happiness, psychological well-being, resilience, and the meaning in life. Data were collected via a battery of questionnaires and analyzed, focusing on the above variables. The sample of this study (N = 526) consisted of Greek professionals in education and university students. The results showed that there is a strong positive relationship between self-compassion and subjective happiness, and between self-compassion and psychological well-being. The findings suggest that an attitude of self-compassion may well influence the development of psychological well-being and increase the subjective happiness of adults during the distressing era of a long-term pandemic. The results also indicated a positive relationship between self-compassion and meaning in life and showed that self-compassion is a prerequisite for resilience, which in turn may serve as a moderator of psychological well-being and subjective happiness.

Compassion-based interventions in Asian communities: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

PURPOSE

Practising compassion increases well-being and reduces depression, anxiety, and psychological distress among clinical and non-clinical populations. There is a rapid increase in compassion-based interventions within the past two decades. However, the reviews are limited to predominantly Western cultures. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the literature attempting to promote and increase compassion in Asian communities.

METHOD

Eight randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted between 2016 to 2021 were included in the meta-analysis with data from 1012 participants across Thailand, Japan, China and Hong Kong. Effect sizes were calculated to test the efficacy of the compassion-based interventions on the self-compassion outcome. Intervention efficacy was tested by comparing the intervention groups against control groups (wait-list control and active control groups) at pre- and post-interventions.

RESULTS

Significant between-group differences in change scores were found on self-report measures of self-compassion with large effect sizes in interventions with wait-list control groups (d = .86) and small effect sizes in interventions with active-control groups (d = .19).

CONCLUSIONS

Although compassion-based interventions are heterogeneous in nature and limited in scope, there is promising evidence of improving self-compassion in Asian communities. This supports for the cross-cultural applicability of compassion-based interventions. However, research within the Asian context is limited and at an infancy stage, signifying the importance of conducting further compassion-based interventions in clinical and non-clinical groups living in the Asian communities.

The Correlation Between Self-Compassion and Life Satisfaction Varies Across Societal Individualism-Collectivism: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis

Self-compassion is positively correlated with life satisfaction. However, no previous work examined the cross-cultural difference regarding the effect size of this correlation. Using 79 independent samples ( N = 23,976) from 26 countries/regions, this three-level meta-analysis synthesized the effect sizes of their correlation, partitioned the between-study heterogeneity into the within- and between-country levels, and examined the moderating role of national culture according to the revised Minkov-Hofstede model. Results indicated that self-compassion was positively correlated with life satisfaction, with a moderate-to-large effect size (.40 ≤  r ≤ .47); 33.66% and 35.73% of the effect size variance could be attributed to the within-country and between-country heterogeneities; this correlation was stronger in samples collected from more individualistic societies. This study highlights that self-compassion may fit differently into different cultural realities and the importance of raising cultural awareness in future self-compassion research.