Family factors and depressive symptoms among college students: Understanding the role of self-compassion.

Publisher: Routledge Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8214119 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1940-3208 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 07448481 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Am Coll Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2010- : New York : Routledge
Original Publication: [Washington, D.C. : Published by the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation, in cooperation with the American College Health Association, c1982-

Self Concept*; Depression/*epidemiology ; Family Relations/*psychology ; Students/*psychology; Adolescent ; Adult ; Empathy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Health ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Universities ; Young Adult

Objective: Poor family support and increased family unpredictability during childhood have been related to subsequent depression. How self-compassion might influence the relation between family factors (ie, unpredictability and support) and depression is unclear. The present study examines how family factors and self-compassion relate to depressive symptoms. Participants: Study participants include 365 university students. Methods: Undergraduate students responded to a questionnaire assessing family factors, recent depressive symptoms, and self-compassion. Results: Hypotheses were supported: family factors were correlated with depression and lower self-compassion, and self-compassion and depression were negatively related. Furthermore, self-compassion moderated the unpredictability-depression relationship. Specifically, individuals who reported high levels of self-compassion demonstrated similar rates of depression, regardless of whether they reported mild, moderate, or high levels of family unpredictability. Self-compassion did not moderate the family support-depression relationship. Conclusions: Implications for therapeutic interventions targeting self-compassion for alleviating depressive symptoms are discussed.

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T32 DA035200 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS

Keywords: Depression; family support; family unpredictability; self-compassion

Date Created: 20190409 Date Completed: 20210609 Latest Revision: 20211002

20231215

PMC7085279

10.1080/07448481.2019.1596920

30958756