Perceived stress and resilience among college students: The roles of self-compassion and anxiety symptomatology

Abstract

Objective: The current study explored the role of self-compassion on the relationship between perceived stress and resilience among college students experiencing different levels of anxiety symptomatology. Participants: Three hundred and forty-five undergraduate students (Mage= 19.66; 74.8% female) were recruited from a public university in the northeastern United States. Methods: Participants completed self-report measures assessing perceived stress, self-compassion, anxiety symptomatology, and resilience. Results: Self-compassion was found to indirectly affect the association between perceived stress and resilience at both low (b = −0.06, 95% CI [−0.08, −0.04]) and high levels (b = −0.03, 95% CI [−0.05, −0.01]) of anxiety symptomatology. The index of moderated mediation was significant (b = 0.005, 95% CI [0.001, 0.01]). Conclusions: Results of the present study suggest that interventions to enhance resilience should incorporate strategies aimed at managing stress and anxiety and increasing self-compassion.