THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-COMPASSION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN USIM

Self-compassion is an area in positive psychology that has gained much interest among the public in recent years. It is frequently cited as a means for assisting individuals attain an enhanced and more balanced sense of psychological well-being. This study investigated the relationship between self-compassion and psychological well-being among undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. Employing the quantitative research method, it surveyed 153 respondents from six different programs at the Faculty of Leadership and Management, namely Counseling, Da’wah and Islamic Management, Akidah and Religion Studies, Communication, New Media Communications, and Management with Tourism. For data collection, the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) measured self-compassion while 18 items from the Ryff’s Psychological Well-being (PWB) scale were used to measure the level of psychological well-being. The study findings show no significant differences in self-compassion and psychological well-being in both male and female students. The study also reported a significant correlation (r = 0.593, n =153, p < 0.05) between self-compassion and psychological well-being among the students, indicating a robust association between the two variables. This implies that greater psychological well-being among university students would require a higher sense of self-compassion. In conclusion, responsible parties such as the higher management levels of universities and academicians should be aware of the issues and implement appropriate planning initiatives aimed at enhancing the level of self-compassion and well-being among students.