University of Twente Student Theses
Distinguishing State and Trait Self-Compassion in Their Moderating Role on the Relationship between Stress and Affect
Wiesmann, Mia (2024) Distinguishing State and Trait Self-Compassion in Their Moderating Role on the Relationship between Stress and Affect.
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| Abstract: | Background: Previously, the buffering effect of self-compassion on the relationship between stressful events and negative affect has mainly been studied on a between-person trait level. To address this research gap, the current research used the Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) to distinguish state and trait self-compassion when relating the construct to the adaptation to stress and negative affect. Furthermore, it was examined if the moderation effect of self-compassion differs between individuals scoring high on depressive symptoms compared to a non-depressed population. Method: To answer these objectives, a secondary analysis of ESM data obtained from 144 participants was done. The study included a baseline questionnaire assessing the demographics of the participants as well as the level of depressive symptoms. Moreover, three short daily questionnaires assessed the amount of stress at a certain measurement point, the momentary negative affect, and the level of self-compassion over the course of two weeks. Person-mean centering combined with linear mixed modelling (LMM) was used to analyse the data. Results: The results showed a significant interaction effect for stressful events and state self-compassion (b = -0.18; p <.001), indicating that the relation between stressful events and negative affect was weaker on moments of above-average self-compassion. Furthermore, a non-significant interaction effect for stressful events and trait self-compassion on negative affect was found (b = 0.02; p = .724). Similar interaction effects were found for both people scoring high on depression and non-depressed participants. Specifically, a significant effect of state self-compassion and a non-significant effect of trait self-compassion were found for the group scoring high on depression and for the non-depressed population. Conclusion: The findings emphasize the difference between state and trait self-compassion in moderating the relationship between stress and affect. Higher levels of state self-compassion may aid adaptive coping with stress and may buffer the negative consequences of depressive symptoms. However, the results must be interpreted tentatively as they are limited by the measures used in the current study and the sample size. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/98025 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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