The Moral Imperative

The efficacy of self-care for graduate students in professional psychology: A meta-analysis.

“…The results from the moderator analyses also indicated that the benefits did not differ depending on the type of self-care activity that the professional psychology graduate students engaged in, such as mindfulness, seeking social support, or some other type of self-care activity (e.g., exercise). This may be because there is no one-size-fits-all self-care plan (Bressi & Vaden, 2016;Carroll et al, 1999;Derthick, Ivanovic, & Swift, 2015). While some students may benefit by engaging in mindfulness, others might notice more benefits while maintaining an exercise routine.…”

“…Surprisingly, they found that engagement in exercise as a self-care activity was related to significantly higher levels of stress for participants, while self-care efforts in the area of eating habits was not associated with stress, and sleeping related self-care behaviors was associated with significantly lower levels of stress. Based on the results of these two studies, as well as several other similar studies (Cohen & Miller, 2009; Goncher, Sherman, Barnett, & Haskins, 2013;Wolf, Thompson, Thompson, & Smith-Adcock, 2014), it is not immediately clear if self-care produces positive outcomes for professional psychology graduate students.…”

“…Broadly defined, self-care is the process of actively initiating a method to promote holistic well-being (Bressi & Vaden, 2016;Godfrey et al, 2011;Lee & Miller, 2013;Newell & Nelson-Gardell, 2014). This definition implies an array of potential activities that fall under the category of self-care, such as healthy eating, exercise, mindfulness, engaging in hobbies or leisurely activities, maintaining a sufficient sleep schedule, and using adaptive coping strategies (Carroll, Gilroy, & Murra, 1999). This definition also implies a purposeful effort to engage in these activities to maintain wellness in multiple domains.…”

The mediating role of self-care activities in the stress-burnout relationship

“…Self-care is a complex of physical, psychological, mental and spiritual activities that are performed by an individual with the aim of maintaining or improving health (Carrol, Gilroy, & Murra, 1999), physical and psychological well-being and personal growth (Godfrey et al, 2011;Lovaš, 2014). It is a selfregulated, deliberate and aim-oriented activity (Segall & Goldstein, 1989;Lovaš, 2014).…”

“…It is a selfregulated, deliberate and aim-oriented activity (Segall & Goldstein, 1989;Lovaš, 2014). Self-care has been studied as a potential factor in preventing the development of negative outcomes in helping others such as burnout and compassion fatigue (Alkema, Linton, & Davies, 2008;Carrol et al, 1999). It has also been said to promote positive outcomes such as compassion satisfaction or well-being (Alkema et al, 2008).…”