Perceived stress and somatic symptoms with the mediating role of self-compassion in medical students

Background: The association between perceived stress and somatization symptoms is significant. Self-compassion is a valuable coping resource for dealing with negative life situations. We examined the relationship between perceived stress and somatic symptoms with the mediating role of self-compassion in medical students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This study was a descriptive correlational study, based on structural equation modeling (SEM) on the medical students of Guilan University of Medical Science in the academic year 2022-2023. Demographic questionnaires, Perceived Stress Scale, Somatic Symptom Scale-8, and Self-Compassion Scale were used. Independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey’s test, Pearson correlation, Mann-Whitney test, and Kruskal–Wallis test were used for analysis by SEM in LISREL and SPSS software. Results: Participants were 200 students with a mean±SD age of 23.46±2.06 years. The mean scores of perceived stress, somatic symptoms, and self-compassion in the sample were 29.90±8.52, 10.59±4.94, and 3±0.63, respectively. There was a significant positive association between perceived stress and somatic symptoms (r=0.299, P<0.001) and a negative association between somatic symptoms and self-compassion (r=-0.490, P<0.001), but no relationship between perceived stress and self-compassion (r=-0.124, P=0.081). The mediating role of self-compassion was confirmed by none of the modified models. Conclusion: Although increased perceived stress was related to increased somatic symptoms, and increased somatic symptoms were related to decreased self-compassion, self-compassion did not mediate the relationship between perceived stress and somatic symptoms.