Meta-Analysis of Gender Differences in Self-Compassion

Yarnell, Lisa M.; Stafford, Rose E.; Neff, Kristin D.; Reilly, Erin D.; Knox, Marissa C.; Mullarkey, Michael C

doi:10.1080/15298868.2015.1029966

Cited by 296 publications

(251 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…Comparing results for female and male students, it is apparent that the relationship between self-compassion and the IP is stronger for female than male students. This aligns to empirical evidence suggesting that females score lower on measures of self-compassion but higher on measurers of the IP than males (McGregor et al, 2008; Jöstl et al, 2012; Yarnell et al, 2015). Even though self-compassion seems to be a resilience factor against the IP for female and male students, this finding emphasizes that female students would benefit more from interventions designed to increase self-compassion than male students.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Buffering Impostor Feelings with Kindness: The Mediating Role of Self-compassion between Gender-Role Orientation and the Impostor Phenomenon

2017

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The impostor phenomenon (IP) refers to high-achievers who underestimate their abilities and thus fear being unmasked as impostors. IP sufferers attribute their success to factors other than their abilities, entailing negative emotions, unfavorable motivations, and reduced well-being. The IP was originally conceptualized as a predominantly female experience, and is thus seen as an important psychological barrier for female academic careers. Empirical findings of gender differences in the IP are equivocal, but sparse research on associations between gender-role orientation and the IP indicates that feminine students suffer more intensely from the IP than masculine students. Femininity and masculinity are also related to self-compassion, a rather young construct that enhances emotional resilience, well-being, and academic achievement. Self-compassion involves being kind to oneself when failing, perceiving one’s inadequacies as part of the human condition, and being mindful about negative aspects of oneself. It reduces fear of failure, denial of competences, and self-doubts which are central components of the IP. However, relations between self-compassion and the IP have not been investigated to date. In this study, we examine self-compassion as a potential resilience factor against the IP, taking gender and gender-role orientation into account. In a cross-sectional online survey, we investigated 459 (315 female) high-achieving first-year undergraduate students. Results include: Female, feminine, and undifferentiated students score higher on measures of the IP and lower on measures of self-compassion than male, masculine, or androgynous students. Higher levels of the IP are associated with lower levels of self-compassion across all students tested. Self-compassion further mediates the relationship between gender-role orientation and the IP. Interventions to enhance self-compassion might thus be an effective way to overcome impostor feelings. Female, feminine, and undifferentiated students might benefit most from facilitation of self-compassion in education.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Buffering Impostor Feelings with Kindness: The Mediating Role of Self-compassion between Gender-Role Orientation and the Impostor Phenomenon

2017

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“…These findings are in accordance with previous studies in non-clinical and clinical adult populations (Castilho et al, 2015;Yarnell et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Understanding self-compassion in adolescents: Validation study of the Self-Compassion Scale

Cunha

Xavier

Castilho

2016

Personality and Individual Differences

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Self-compassion is an adaptive self-attitude when considering personal inadequacies or difficult life situations and seems to be crucial to adolescent's experience. However, self-compassion remains less investigated in adolescence. This paper aims to analyse the psychometric properties of Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003) and test its six-factor structure through a Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a representative sample of adolescents. The sample consists of 3165 adolescents, aged between 12 and 19 years old (Mage = 15.49) from Portuguese schools. Results confirm the six-factor and second-order structures of the SCS and the measurement invariance across gender. The SCS and subscales also revealed good internal reliability and convergent validity with measures of positive emotional memories, depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms. Overall, our findings suggest that the SCS is a valid and reliable measure to assess self-compassion among adolescents.

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“…A recent meta-analysis on gender differences in self-compassion reported that self-compassion levels are slightly lower for women than men, with a larger difference in more ethnically diverse samples (Yarnell et al, 2015). However, as self-compassion research is nascent in adolescence with the first published study in 2010 (Neff & McGehee, 2010), it is yet unclear whether this difference emerges in adolescence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age and Gender Differences in the Associations of Self-Compassion and Emotional Well-being in A Large Adolescent Sample

Bluth

Campo

Futch

et al. 2016

J Youth Adolescence

153

112

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Adolescence is a challenging developmental period marked with declines in emotional well-being; however, self-compassion has been suggested as a protective factor. This cross-sectional survey study (N=765, grades 7th to 12th; 53% female; 4% Hispanic ethnicity; 64% White and 21% Black) examined whether adolescents’ self-compassion differed by age and gender, and secondly, whether its associations with emotional well-being (perceived stress, life satisfaction, distress intolerance, depressive symptoms, and anxiety) also differed by age and gender. The findings indicated that older females had the lowest self-compassion levels compared to younger females or all-age males. Self-compassion was associated with all emotional well-being measures, and gender and/or age moderated the associations with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Among older adolescents, self-compassion had a greater protective effect on anxiety for boys than for girls. Additionally, older adolescents with low and average self-compassion had greater levels of depressive symptoms than those with high self-compassion. These results may inform for whom and at what age self-compassion interventions may be implemented to protect adolescents from further declines in emotional well-being.

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Meta-Analysis of Gender Differences in Self-Compassion

Cited by 296 publications

References 98 publications

Buffering Impostor Feelings with Kindness: The Mediating Role of Self-compassion between Gender-Role Orientation and the Impostor Phenomenon

Buffering Impostor Feelings with Kindness: The Mediating Role of Self-compassion between Gender-Role Orientation and the Impostor Phenomenon

Understanding self-compassion in adolescents: Validation study of the Self-Compassion Scale

Age and Gender Differences in the Associations of Self-Compassion and Emotional Well-being in A Large Adolescent Sample

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