Barrier Self-Efficacy Moderates the Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Self-Reported Leisure-Time Physical Activity

Self-compassion, a compassionate attitude toward oneself, has been associated with positive physical activity (PA) outcomes. This cross-sectional study on the 33- to 35-year follow-up data of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 examined the associations between self-compassion and self-reported leisure-time PA (LTPA), accelerometer-measured PA, and self-reported sitting time and assessed the moderating effect of PA barrier self-efficacy on these associations. Self-compassion was associated with higher LTPA (N = 2,080), also after adjusting for key PA-related covariates, such as gender, perceived health, and level of education but not after adjusting for barrier self-efficacy. Self-compassion was also associated with higher accelerometer-measured PA (N = 811), and lower sitting time (N = 1,072), but not after adjusting for covariates. Barrier self-efficacy moderated the associations between self-compassion and self-reported activity behaviors, but not accelerometer-measured PA. Higher self-compassion was associated with higher LTPA and lower sitting time in individuals with high barrier self-efficacy. Conversely, higher self-compassion signified lower LTPA in individuals with low barrier self-efficacy. Accounting for barrier self-efficacy is thus necessary for the beneficial role of self-compassion in PA to be realized.