Examining self-compassion in romantic relationships

Abstract

Self-compassion has recently emerged as a component of psychological health. Research on self-compassion processes shows that self-compassion is related to lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of positive affect. The current study examined the extent to which self-compassion is related to the quality of romantic relationships. Undergraduates (n = 261) completed online self-report questionnaires assessing self-compassion and relationship quality. Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted in order to assess the relation between self-compassion and relationship quality. Results indicated that self-compassion was moderately positively correlated with relationship quality, and that self-compassion was a unique, if weak, predictor of relationship quality. Implications of these findings for romantic relationships are discussed.

@article{jacobsonExaminingSelfCompassion2018,
  title = {Examining self-compassion in romantic relationships},
  author = {Emily Hannah Katt Jacobson and Kelly G. Wilson and A. Solomon Kurz and Karen Kate Kellum},
  journal = {Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science},
  year = 2018,
  volume = 8,
  page = 69–73,
  doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2018.04.003}
}