Unlocking the Power of Self-Compassion and Psychological Flexibility: Enhancing Emotional Health, Subjective Wellbeing, and Quality of Life in College Students

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the predictive effects of psychological flexibility and self-compassion on the quality of life, emotional distress, and subjective well-being of college students, while controlling for demographic and other relevant psychological variables. The study sample comprised 502 young adults, 69% of whom were female and 31% male, aged between 19 and 37 years (M = 21.24, SD = 2.40). Regression analyses showed that self-compassion and psychological flexibility accounted for a significant amount of unique variance in each of the outcomes, even when controlling for all other variables in the model. Psychological flexibility was found to contribute to emotional distress and subjective wellbeing to a greater extent, explaining an additional 27% and 20% of the variance, respectively, compared to self-compassion, which explained an additional 8% and 11% of the variance in these outcomes. Moreover, self-compassion continued to predict these outcomes, even after controlling for psychological flexibility and other relevant factors. These findings highlight the importance of cultivating self-compassion as a unique and independent factor contributing to these outcomes, even after accounting for psychological flexibility and other relevant factors.