Self-compassionate college women report receiving more social support in the face of distress: Evidence from a daily diary study

Abstract

Highly self-compassionate individuals are more resilient in the face of distress. Although research suggests this is due to intrapersonal coping, interpersonal coping strategies, like openness to social support, may also contribute. Prior studies on the relationship between self-compassion and received social support have yielded mixed findings and neglected to examine the moderating role of distress, which may impact one's perceived need for support. In the present study, 96 female undergraduates reported on daily levels of self-compassion, distress, and received social support over eight consecutive days. A significant positive relationship between dispositional self-compassion and received social support was found, and this relationship was moderated by participants’ average and daily levels of distress. Participants higher in dispositional self-compassion reported receiving especially high levels of support the higher their average level of distress over the week, and the higher their level of distress on a given day relative to their typical level. These results indicate that self-compassionate college-aged women may be more effective at utilizing interpersonal coping resources when distressed.