Self-Compassion and Eating Pathology in Female Adolescents with Eating Disorders: The Mediating Role of Psychological Distress

Abstract

Objectives: A burgeoning literature demonstrates that self-compassion has widespread implications for numerous mental health problems, with recent research highlighting the role of self-compassion in body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between self-compassion, psychological distress, and eating pathology in a clinical sample of female adolescents. In addition, this study examined whether psychological distress emerged as a cross-sectional mediator of the relation between self-compassion and eating pathology. Methods: Fifty-eight female adolescents with eating disorders (Mage = 15.45; SD = 1.49) completed the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-5), and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire - Adolescent Version (EDE-Q). Results: The SCS positive items (referred to as self-compassion) were negatively associated with psychological distress and eating pathology. The SCS negative items (referred to as self-criticism) were positively associated with psychological distress and eating pathology (all ps