The Relationship between Self-Compassion, Social Connectedness and Depressive Symptoms among University Students

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine and explore the affiliation between Self-compassion, social connectedness and Depressive symptoms among university students belonging to the age group of 18-25 years. The research study was cross-sectional in design. This study was conducted in Shifa Tameer-e-Millet University, Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The duration of the study was from October 2021 to September 2022. Quaid-e-Azam University, International Islamic University, Arid Agriculture University, Bahria University, NUST, and Air University were among the universities in Islamabad from which the data was gathered. A survey was conducted to collect data from different universities of Islamabad. 215 students participated in this study among which 52% percent were females and 48% were males. The three measures used in this study were Social Connectedness scale-revised (SCS-R), Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (SCS-SF) and lastly, Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). The research findings showed that self-compassion and Social connectedness have a significant and negative relationship with depressive symptoms. Moreover, the findings depicted that Social connectedness had a significant and positive relationship with Self-Compassion. The research findings demonstrated social connectedness and self-compassion have a negatively significant relationship with the depressive symptoms. The results of t-test analysis showed that depression was more prevalent in female population than in males. This study concluded that self-compassion and social connectedness decreases depressive symptoms and social connectedness increases self-compassion. It also concluded that females are vulnerable to depressive symptoms.The findings suggest that fostering self-compassion and enhancing social connectedness could potentially contribute to reducing depressive symptoms in this demographic. Additionally, recognizing the higher vulnerability of females to depressive symptoms underscores the importance of gender-sensitive mental health interventions.