The role of social support, being present, and self-kindness in university student psychological distress

dc.contributor.authorStallman, H.M.
dc.contributor.authorOhan, J.L.
dc.contributor.authorChiera, B.
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractObjective: Self-kindness, which is thought to be part of self-compassion, has the potential to contribute to mental health, as well as serve as a focus for interventions. However, little attention has been given to the potential role of self-kindness specifically, especially in the context of mindful presence and available social support, in buffering distress. Method: Structural equation modelling was used to test a theoretically based model of how these factors relate to each other and psychological distress. Participants were 592 Australian university students. Results: Results confirmed our hypotheses, showing that: (a) receiving social support is important to the capacity for self-kindness both directly and indirectly through the ability to "be present," and (b) the relationship between social support and psychological distress is partially mediated by the practices of self-kindness and being present. The model of social support, being present, and self-kindness accounted for half the variance in psychological distress. With the addition of stressors, a regression model explained a total of 62% of the variance. Conclusions: These findings have implications for understanding the construct of self-kindness and its role in the development of interventions to improve student success.
dc.identifier.citationAustralian Psychologist, 2018; 53(1):52-59
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/ap.12271
dc.identifier.issn0005-0067
dc.identifier.issn1742-9544
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11541.2/125671
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherJohn Wiley & Sons
dc.rightsCopyright 2017 The Australian Psychological Society
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12271
dc.subjectcollege students
dc.subjectmental health
dc.subjectmindfulness
dc.subjectpsychological distress
dc.subjectself-kindness
dc.subjectsocial support
dc.titleThe role of social support, being present, and self-kindness in university student psychological distress
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished
ror.mmsid9916119905601831

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