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04-01-2022 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Compassion Protects Mental Health and Social Safeness During the COVID-19 Pandemic Across 21 Countries

Auteurs: Marcela Matos, Kirsten McEwan, Martin Kanovský, Júlia Halamová, Stanley R. Steindl, Nuno Ferreira, Mariana Linharelhos, Daniel Rijo, Kenichi Asano, Margarita G. Márquez, Sónia Gregório, Sara P. Vilas, Gonzalo Brito-Pons, Paola Lucena-Santos, Margareth da Silva Oliveira, Erika Leonardo de Souza, Lorena Llobenes, Natali Gumiy, Maria Ileana Costa, Noor Habib, Reham Hakem, Hussain Khrad, Ahmad Alzahrani, Simone Cheli, Nicola Petrocchi, Elli Tholouli, Philia Issari, Gregoris Simos, Vibeke Lunding-Gregersen, Ask Elklit, Russell Kolts, Allison C. Kelly, Catherine Bortolon, Pascal Delamillieure, Marine Paucsik, Julia E. Wahl, Mariusz Zieba, Mateusz Zatorski, Tomasz Komendziński, Shuge Zhang, Jaskaran Basran, Antonios Kagialis, James Kirby, Paul Gilbert

Gepubliceerd in: Mindfulness | Uitgave 4/2022

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Abstract

Objectives

The COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented detrimental impact on mental health in people around the world. It is important therefore to explore factors that may buffer or accentuate the risk of mental health problems in this context. Given that compassion has numerous benefits for mental health, emotion regulation, and social relationships, this study examines the buffering effects of different flows of compassion (for self, for others, from others) against the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety, and stress, and social safeness.

Methods

The study was conducted in a sample of 4057 adult participants from the general community population, collected across 21 countries from Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania. Participants completed self-report measures of perceived threat of COVID-19, compassion (for self, for others, from others), depression, anxiety, stress, and social safeness.

Results

Perceived threat of COVID-19 was associated with higher scores in depression, anxiety, and stress, and lower scores in social safeness. Self-compassion and compassion from others were associated with lower psychological distress and higher social safeness. Compassion for others was associated with lower depressive symptoms. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety, and stress, whereas compassion from others moderated the effects of fears of contracting COVID-19 on social safeness. These effects were consistent across all countries.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the universal protective role of compassion, in particular self-compassion and compassion from others, in promoting resilience by buffering against the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social safeness.
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Metagegevens
Titel
Compassion Protects Mental Health and Social Safeness During the COVID-19 Pandemic Across 21 Countries
Auteurs
Marcela Matos
Kirsten McEwan
Martin Kanovský
Júlia Halamová
Stanley R. Steindl
Nuno Ferreira
Mariana Linharelhos
Daniel Rijo
Kenichi Asano
Margarita G. Márquez
Sónia Gregório
Sara P. Vilas
Gonzalo Brito-Pons
Paola Lucena-Santos
Margareth da Silva Oliveira
Erika Leonardo de Souza
Lorena Llobenes
Natali Gumiy
Maria Ileana Costa
Noor Habib
Reham Hakem
Hussain Khrad
Ahmad Alzahrani
Simone Cheli
Nicola Petrocchi
Elli Tholouli
Philia Issari
Gregoris Simos
Vibeke Lunding-Gregersen
Ask Elklit
Russell Kolts
Allison C. Kelly
Catherine Bortolon
Pascal Delamillieure
Marine Paucsik
Julia E. Wahl
Mariusz Zieba
Mateusz Zatorski
Tomasz Komendziński
Shuge Zhang
Jaskaran Basran
Antonios Kagialis
James Kirby
Paul Gilbert
Publicatiedatum
04-01-2022
Uitgeverij
Springer US
Gepubliceerd in
Mindfulness / Uitgave 4/2022
Print ISSN: 1868-8527
Elektronisch ISSN: 1868-8535
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01822-2