Self-Compassion As A Mediator of The Relationship Between Psychological Inflexibility and Resilience

Abstract

Acceptance and commitment therapy helps individuals to develop psychological flexibility, which is the ability to accept and adapt to difficult thoughts and feelings without allowing them to control their behavior. Psychological flexibility is associated with important constructs, one of which is resilience, which expresses individuals’ positive attitude against the difficulties they encounter in life. In this study, the mechanism of the relationship between psychological inflexibility and resilience was examined in more detail. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between psychological inflexibility and resilience. This cross-sectional study used data collected via self-reported measurement tools from 285 participants (61 males and 224 females) who were university students. The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ- II), the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and a demographic information form were used for data collection. Results showed that psychological inflexibility negatively predicted self- compassion and resilience, and self-compassion positively predicted resilience. Based on the mediation analysis results, it was found that self-compassion partially mediated the effect of psychological inflexibility on resilience.