Impact of mindfulness and self-compassion on anxiety and depression: The mediating role of resilience

Abstract

Background/Objective ‘Third-wave’ psychotherapies have shown effectiveness for treating psychopathological symptoms such as anxiety and depression. There is burgeoning interest in examining how these therapies’ core constructs produce their therapeutic benefits. This study explores the hypothetical mediating effect of resilience in the impact of mindfulness and self-compassion on anxiety and depressive symptoms. Method : Cross-sectional study design. The sample consisted of 860 Spanish general population participants. The measures included the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-12), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). Bivariate correlations were calculated, and path analysis models were performed. Results : Significant correlations were found between the study variables, always in the expected direction (all p values <.001). The path analysis models showed significant direct effects of mindfulness and self-compassion on anxiety and depression symptoms, but the only significant indirect effects through resilience were found on depression (MAAS: β = -.05, 95% CI = -.11 to -.02; SCS-12: β = -.06, 95% CI = -.33 to -.07). Conclusions : Resilience might partially mediate the effect of mindfulness and self-compassion on depression, but not on anxiety.

Psychometric Validation of the Persian Self-Compassion Scale Youth Version

“…Self-compassion negatively predicted anxiety generated by COVID-19 among younger adolescents in the present study. The findings are in line with an increasing number of studies showing a negative association between selfcompassion and psychopathology vulnerability in the form of anxiety (Pérez-Aranda et al, 2021;Werner et al, 2012). While self-compassion predicts optimism and resilience, there is evidence indicating that traits related to optimism, such as self-compassion, facilitate the recovery from the impacts of trauma and other mental health symptoms (Nazari & Griffiths, 2020).…”

The Mental Health and Wellbeing of University Students: Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Mechanisms of a Mindfulness-Based Course

“…This finding is consistent with previous findings from a study with a sample of secondary school teachers that found mindfulness, but not self-compassion, mediated changes between the frequency of mindfulness practice during an MBP and mental health outcomes [ 20 ], suggesting that improvement in mental health symptoms and wellbeing may be driven by different pathways of change. Recent cross-sectional evidence from general population participants also found significant direct effects of mindfulness, self-compassion, and resilience on anxiety and depression symptoms, with indirect effects of mindfulness and self-compassion through resilience on depression symptoms [ 42 ]. Thus, in order to optimise outcomes and delivery of MBPs, the disparity between mechanisms underpinning improvements in wellbeing and mental health symptoms, including distress, should be investigated further.…”

“…This is supported by cross-sectional and experimental research, revealing a partially mediating serial relationship between mindfulness, resilience and subjective wellbeing in community, and university samples [ 38 , 41 ]. In a recent cross-sectional study of general population participants, significant direct effects of mindfulness, self-compassion and resilience on anxiety and depression symptoms were observed, and also indirect effects of mindfulness and self-compassion through resilience on depression symptoms were found [ 42 ].…”

Anxiety and Depression during COVID-19 in Elite Rugby Players: The Role of Mindfulness Skills

“…Resilience can be thought of as the capacity to tolerate and adapt to adverse life events [23]. It has been proposed that emotional resilience may be a mechanism of mindfulness, and resilience has been shown to partially mediate the effect of mindfulness and self-compassion on depression [24]. However, the role of mindfulness and resilience in supporting mental health in elite sport is not well understood.…”