Matos Marcela, McEwan Kirsten, Kanovský Martin, Halamová Júlia, Steindl Stanley R, Ferreira Nuno, Linharelhos Mariana, Rijo Daniel, Asano Kenichi, Márquez Margarita G, Gregório Sónia, Vilas Sara P, Brito-Pons Gonzalo, Lucena-Santos Paola, da Silva Oliveira Margareth, de Souza Erika Leonardo, Llobenes Lorena, Gumiy Natali, Costa Maria Ileana, Habib Noor, Hakem Reham, Khrad Hussain, Alzahrani Ahmad, Cheli Simone, Petrocchi Nicola, Tholouli Elli, Issari Philia, Simos Gregoris, Lunding-Gregersen Vibeke, Elklit Ask, Kolts Russell, Kelly Allison C, Bortolon Catherine, Delamillieure Pascal, Paucsik Marine, Wahl Julia E, Zieba Mariusz, Zatorski Mateusz, Komendziński Tomasz, Zhang Shuge, Basran Jaskaran, Kagialis Antonios, Kirby James, Gilbert Paul
Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), University of Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal.
College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, Derby, UK.
Mindfulness (N Y). 2022;13(4):863-880. doi: 10.1007/s12671-021-01822-2. Epub 2022 Jan 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented detrimental impact on mental health in people around the world. It is important therefore to explore factors that may buffer or accentuate the risk of mental health problems in this context. Given that compassion has numerous benefits for mental health, emotion regulation, and social relationships, this study examines the buffering effects of different flows of compassion (for self, for others, from others) against the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety, and stress, and social safeness.
The study was conducted in a sample of 4057 adult participants from the general community population, collected across 21 countries from Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania. Participants completed self-report measures of perceived threat of COVID-19, compassion (for self, for others, from others), depression, anxiety, stress, and social safeness.
Perceived threat of COVID-19 was associated with higher scores in depression, anxiety, and stress, and lower scores in social safeness. Self-compassion and compassion from others were associated with lower psychological distress and higher social safeness. Compassion for others was associated with lower depressive symptoms. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas compassion from others moderated the effects of fears of contracting COVID-19 on social safeness. These effects were consistent across all countries.
Our findings highlight the universal protective role of compassion, in particular self-compassion and compassion from others, in promoting resilience by buffering against the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social safeness.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-021-01822-2.
新冠疫情正在对全球人们的心理健康产生前所未有的有害影响。因此,探索在这种情况下可能缓冲或加剧心理健康问题风险的因素非常重要。鉴于同情心对心理健康、情绪调节和社会关系有诸多益处,本研究考察了不同流向的同情心(自我同情、对他人的同情、他人给予的同情)对新冠疫情感知威胁对抑郁、焦虑、压力和社会安全感影响的缓冲作用。
该研究以来自欧洲、中东、北美、南美、亚洲和大洋洲21个国家的普通社区人群中的4057名成年参与者为样本。参与者完成了关于新冠疫情感知威胁、同情心(自我同情、对他人的同情、他人给予的同情)、抑郁、焦虑、压力和社会安全感的自我报告测量。
新冠疫情感知威胁与抑郁、焦虑和压力得分较高以及社会安全感得分较低相关。自我同情和他人给予的同情与较低的心理困扰和较高的社会安全感相关。对他人的同情与较低的抑郁症状相关。自我同情调节了新冠疫情感知威胁与抑郁、焦虑和压力之间的关系,而他人给予的同情调节了感染新冠疫情恐惧对社会安全感的影响。这些影响在所有国家都是一致的。
我们的研究结果凸显了同情心,特别是自我同情和他人给予的同情,在通过缓冲新冠疫情对心理健康和社会安全感的有害影响来促进恢复力方面的普遍保护作用。
在线版本包含可在10.1007/s12671-021-01822-2获取的补充材料。