Emotion regulation mediates between self-compassion and depressive symptoms

<p>Self-compassion has been consistently associated with greater well-being and lower levels of mental health problems, including depression. However, the mechanisms that explain the connection between self-compassion and depressive symptoms are still not well understood. One possible mechanism is emotion regulation. This study examined whether two types of emotion regulation strategies, one considered maladaptive (expressive suppression) and one considered adaptive (cognitive reappraisal), act as mediators in the relationship between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. A stratified probability sample of 300 Hong Kong Chinese adults aged 18 to 70 years was recruited. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS version 4.2 for SPSS. Expressive suppression significantly mediated the relationship between self-compassion and depressive symptoms, with a coefficient of b = –0.07 and a confidence interval ranging from –0.12 to –0.03. In contrast, cognitive reappraisal did not show a significant mediating effect, with a coefficient of b = 0.01 and a confidence interval ranging from –0.05 to 0.07. These results suggest that higher levels of self-compassion are linked to lower levels of depressive symptoms through a reduced tendency to use expressive suppression. Emotion regulation may therefore play an important role in the influence of self-compassion on mental health. Future research should explore these processes using longitudinal designs to understand how they develop over time.</p>