Zayed Kashef, Ahmed Md Dilsad, Al Kitani Mahfoodha, Alyaaribi Ali, Al-Jadidi Khalifa, Ali Ezzeldin, Gaafar Amin, Al Droushi Abdul Rahim, Alsarmi Maryam
Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al-Khober, Saudi Arabia.
PeerJ. 2025 Jun 11;13:e19554. doi: 10.7717/peerj.19554. eCollection 2025.
Self-compassion plays a vital role in emotional well-being, especially for individuals with disabilities who often face unique psychological challenges. When people treat themselves with kindness instead of harsh self-criticism, they tend to cope better with difficulties and maintain a more positive outlook. However, self-compassion is not the same for everyone as it can be shaped by many factors like gender, disability history (congenital acquired), and participation in leisure-time physical activity. Understanding these influences can help develop better mental health support strategies and more personalized rehabilitation programs.
This study explored self-compassion levels among adults with disabilities and examined how gender, disability history, and leisure-time physical activity influence self-compassion.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 162 adults with disabilities (85 men and 77 women; average age = 31.3 ± 10.69). Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and reported how often they engaged in leisure-time physical activity each week.
On average, participants showed moderate self-compassion levels (M = 3.49, SD = 0.58). Among the six components of self-compassion, self-judgment (M = 3.69, SD = 0.90) and over-identification (M = 3.71, SD = 0.92) were the highest, suggesting a tendency toward self-criticism and emotional overwhelm. Self-kindness had the lowest score (M = 3.19, SD = 0.82), indicating that many participants struggled to be compassionate toward themselves. Our further analysis showed that leisure-time physical activity and disability history were significant predictors of self-compassion. People who regularly engaged in sports or exercise and those with congenital disabilities tended to have higher self-compassion levels. Gender, however, was not significantly related to self-compassion. The overall model was significant, F(3, 158) = 10.833, < .001, = 0.171, explaining 17.1% of the variance in self-compassion.
Many adults with disabilities struggle with self-criticism and emotional distress, but engaging in regular leisure-time physical activity appears to support greater self-compassion. This suggests that making sports and recreation more accessible could help promote emotional resilience in this population. Additionally, the differences observed based on disability history highlight the need for personalized mental health support, as individuals born with a disability may experience self-compassion differently from those who acquired a disability later in life. Future research should further explore these patterns to help improve well-being and psychological support systems for adults with disabilities.
自我同情在情绪健康中起着至关重要的作用，对于经常面临独特心理挑战的残疾人士而言尤为如此。当人们善待自己而非严厉自责时，他们往往能更好地应对困难并保持更积极的心态。然而，自我同情因人而异，它会受到诸多因素的影响，如性别、残疾史（先天性或后天性）以及参与休闲体育活动的情况。了解这些影响有助于制定更好的心理健康支持策略和更具个性化的康复计划。
本研究探讨了残疾成年人的自我同情水平，并考察了性别、残疾史和休闲体育活动如何影响自我同情。
对162名残疾成年人（85名男性和77名女性；平均年龄 = 31.3 ± 10.69岁）进行了一项横断面研究。参与者完成了自我同情量表（SCS），并报告了他们每周参与休闲体育活动的频率。
平均而言，参与者表现出中等程度的自我同情水平（M = 3.49，SD = 0.58）。在自我同情的六个组成部分中，自我评判（M = 3.69，SD = 0.90）和过度认同（M = 3.71，SD = 0.92）得分最高，表明存在自我批评和情绪困扰的倾向。自我友善得分最低（M = 3.19，SD = 0.82），这表明许多参与者难以对自己怀有同情之心。我们的进一步分析表明，休闲体育活动和残疾史是自我同情的重要预测因素。经常参加体育活动或锻炼的人和患有先天性残疾的人往往具有更高的自我同情水平。然而，性别与自我同情并无显著关联。总体模型具有显著性，F(3, 158) = 10.833，p <.001，R² = 0.171，解释了自我同情中17.1%的变异。
许多残疾成年人存在自我批评和情绪困扰的问题，但经常参与休闲体育活动似乎有助于增强自我同情。这表明使体育和娱乐活动更容易参与可能有助于提升这一人群的情绪恢复力。此外，基于残疾史观察到的差异凸显了个性化心理健康支持的必要性，因为先天性残疾个体与后天致残个体在自我同情方面的体验可能有所不同。未来的研究应进一步探索这些模式，以帮助改善残疾成年人的幸福感和心理支持系统。
