Self-compassion and empathy in caregiver and comparison groups: Differences in negative components

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Beals ◽  
Melissa Birkett
Keyword(s):  
Comparison Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Descriptive Information ◽  
Supportive Behavior ◽  
Comparison Groups ◽  
Health And Well Being

Self-compassion and empathy are positively associated with mental health, physical health, and well-being. Caregivers higher in self-compassion and empathy show increased caring and supportive behavior. Cultivating self-compassion and empathy have been suggested to enhance positive outcomes, however descriptive information about these constructs is lacking for caregiver and comparison groups. The current study examined self-compassion and empathy among caregivers (self-identified parents of at least one child under 18 years of age; n=335) and a comparison group (n=215). Caregivers had higher scores of total self-compassion and empathy, with lower scores of self-judgement, isolation, and overidentification (self-compassion subscales), and personal distress (empathy subscale). Describing self-compassion and empathy in caregiver and comparison groups has implications for key health outcomes and highlights differences in self- and other-directed constructs in a diverse sample of adults.

scholarly journals Cesarean Section Epidemic: Coping Strategies Adopted in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Ferreira D’agostini Marin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cesarean Section ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Cesarean Sections ◽  
Brazilian Society ◽  
Strategic Measures ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
And Child Health

In this article, we discuss the strategic measures adopted in Brazil to reduce the high rates of cesarean sections. We present specific programs for both public health and supplementary health and for improving maternal and child health. We hope that these governmental initiatives, coupled with a paradigm shift in the Brazilian society regarding childbirth and women's health, will reduce cesarean section rates in the short and medium run, leading to positive outcomes for maternal and children's health and well-being.

Youth homelessness and housing stability: What outcomes should we be looking for?

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gaetz ◽  
Ashley Ward ◽  
Lauren Kimura
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Life Domains ◽  
Key Performance Indicator ◽  
Youth Homelessness ◽  
Housing Stability ◽  
Health And Well Being

In North America, the key performance indicator of success in community strategies to address homelessness is whether a homeless person is housed or not. In this article, we argue that for young people experiencing homelessness, we need to advance a broader consideration of outcomes to include a range of well-being indicators designed to understand the needs of developing adolescents and young adults and contribute to housing stability. We articulate that the positive outcomes of young people across life domains that include housing stability as well as their safety and security, health and well-being, social connections to peers, family and meaningful adults, connections to groups/neighbourhoods/communities, interests and recreation and leisure, and school and career/work aspirations and goals must be at the centre of these efforts. The Making the Shift project is designed to test this outcomes framework in order to enhance service and measurement capacity and ultimately improve outcomes for youth.

scholarly journals Soothing Your Heart and Feeling Connected: A New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Benefits of Self-Compassion

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Kirschner ◽  
Willem Kuyken ◽  
Kim Wright ◽  
Henrietta Roberts ◽  
Claire Brejcha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Response Pattern ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Psychophysiological Response ◽  
Underlying Processes ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Arousal Reduction

Self-compassion and its cultivation in psychological interventions are associated with improved mental health and well-being. However, the underlying processes for this are not well understood. We randomly assigned 135 participants to study the effect of two short-term self-compassion exercises on self-reported-state mood and psychophysiological responses compared to three control conditions of negative (rumination), neutral, and positive (excitement) valence. Increased self-reported-state self-compassion, affiliative affect, and decreased self-criticism were found after both self-compassion exercises and the positive-excitement condition. However, a psychophysiological response pattern of reduced arousal (reduced heart rate and skin conductance) and increased parasympathetic activation (increased heart rate variability) were unique to the self-compassion conditions. This pattern is associated with effective emotion regulation in times of adversity. As predicted, rumination triggered the opposite pattern across self-report and physiological responses. Furthermore, we found partial evidence that physiological arousal reduction and parasympathetic activation precede the experience of feeling safe and connected.

scholarly journals Individual parental conversations with non-birthing parents

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaretha Larsson ◽  
Irene Eriksson ◽  
Karin Johansson ◽  
Anna-Karin Stigsson ◽  
Rebecka Svahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Health Service ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
The Family ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Family Focus

Abstract Aim: The aim of this study was to describe Child Health Service (CHS) nurses’ experiences with conducting individual parental conversations (IPCs) with non-birthing parents. Background: CHS nurses in Sweden mainly focus on monitoring a child’s physical and mental development and the mothers’ health in order to support their parenthood. The assignment of the CHS includes identifying dysfunctional social relationships in a family and strengthening responsive parenting. An imbalance arises within the family when someone in the family suffers from illness, which could have a negative effect on the whole family’s health and well-being. Methods: An inductive, descriptive qualitative study design was used to describe and to gain an understanding of the CHS nurses’ experiences. Data were collected in 13 interviews, and a qualitative content analysis was performed. Findings: The analysis of interviews with CHS nurses resulted in two main categories, each with three subcategories. The main categories are: working for equality and applying a family focus, and dealing with challenges in the developing assignment. The IPCs stimulate the CHS nurses to work for more equality and to apply a family focus, which can be a way of strengthening the families’ health and the children’s upbringing. Developing the CHS nurses’ assignment can be a challenge that appears to entail positive outcomes for CHS nurses, while also generating the need for CHS nurses to receive supervision to find ways to improve their approach and practice.

Effects of Mindful Self-Compassion Training on Increasing Self-Compassion in Health Care Professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 7512515315p1-7512515315p1
Author(s):  
Susan M. Knier ◽  
Julie L. Watson ◽  
Jennifer O’Connor Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Primary Author

Abstract Date Presented 04/22/21 Health care professionals are vulnerable to stress overload and risks that threaten health and well-being. This study investigated the impact of mindful self-compassion (MSC) training on people working in health care. Overall, self-compassion and subscale scores showed significant improvement. Participants indicated that self-compassion and positive mind states were integrated into their lives. OTs could assimilate MSC as an adjunct approach for their clients and their selves. Primary Author and Speaker: Susan M. Knier

Self-Connection and Well-Being: Development and Validation of a Self-Connection Scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Klussman ◽  
Austin Lee Nichols ◽  
Nicole Curtin ◽  
Julia Langer ◽  
Edward Orehek
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Incremental Validity ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Self Acceptance ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Health And Well Being

Self-connection is composed of three factors: (1) self-awareness, (2) self-acceptance, and (3) self-alignment. Although some promising results suggest that self-connection uniquely contributes to well-being, they have relied on an untested, single-item measure. To advance empirical examination of self-connection and its role in well-being, the current research developed and validated a 12-item Self-Connection Scale (SCS). A total of 1,469 participants were recruited across three studies to examine the SCS and its three underlying components. Using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we found evidence supporting the factor structure and inter-item reliability as well as evidence of construct, concurrent, and incremental validity. Importantly, results from three studies suggest that the SCS is associated with multiple important indicators of health and well-being. The scale also demonstrated incremental validity beyond mindfulness, authenticity, self-concept clarity, self-compassion, and self-acceptance in its association with various mental health and well-being indicators. Thus, the SCS provides a valuable tool to measure and study self-connection and its relationship to well-being and other important psychological outcomes.

Health at Every Size

2019 ◽  
pp. 300-311
Author(s):  
Andrea LaMarre ◽  
Sigrún Daníelsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Health At Every Size ◽  
Collective Levels ◽  
Body Acceptance ◽  
Health Need ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Health And Well Being

Weight-neutral approaches have gained traction over the past decades. These perspectives challenge dominant weight loss paradigms by foregrounding how a focus on health need not be accompanied by an injunction to reduce body size. This chapter explores the roots of the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) paradigm as one weight-neutral approach to positive embodiment. Evidence is reviewed for the effectiveness of HAES, highlighting how it often outperforms weight loss approaches in promoting health and well-being; some recently raised concerns are discussed, including the potential for healthism in an approach that emphasizes health. Finally, it considers how strategies for self-compassion and self-care can be accompanied with parallel efforts to promote social justice for people in all bodies, including bodies marginalized along lines of gender, race, class, ability, and so on. Sustainable gains in promoting positive embodiment must be achieved by advocating for body acceptance at the individual and collective levels.

A Salutogenic Perspective on Adverse Experiences

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Höltge ◽  
Shauna L. Mc Gee ◽  
Andreas Maercker ◽  
Myriam V. Thoma
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Functioning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Past Experiences ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Practical Implications

Abstract. Research has predominantly focused on the negative effects of adversity on health and well-being. However, the salutogenic perspective suggests that adversity may not always be detrimental ( Antonovsky, 1996 ). In fact, under certain circumstances, adversity may have the potential for positive outcomes, such as increased resilience and thriving ( Carver, 1998 ; Rutter, 1987 ). The “steeling effect” suggests that past experiences of adversity may increase resistance to later adversities. It proposes that moderate adversity may facilitate more adaptive functioning than no adversity or high levels of adversity ( Rutter, 2006 , 2012 ). The relationship between adversity and health may be optimally assessed using curvilinear models, yet the majority of previous studies have examined linear associations ( Masten & Cicchetti, 2016 ). It is therefore the aim of this review to determine whether moderate adversity is associated with more adaptive functioning when compared to no and high levels of adversity. Practical implications and future research are also discussed.

Self-Compassion and Reactions to a Recalled Exercise Lapse: The Moderating Role of Gender-Role Schemas

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Alana Signore ◽  
Brittany N. Semenchuk ◽  
Shaelyn M. Strachan
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Female Adult ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Identified Regulation

Exercise is good for health and well-being, yet people experience lapses when trying to adhere to exercise. Self-compassion may help people cope with exercise lapses. Most research on self-compassion and exercise has been conducted with women; men may also benefit from self-compassion. No research has examined whether gender-role schema influences responses to exercise lapses. The authors examined both male and female adult exercisers (N = 220) who reported their self-compassion, recalled an exercise lapse, their reactions to the lapse, and their self-identification of masculinity and femininity. After controlling for self-esteem, age, and lapse importance, self-compassion negatively related to emotional responses (p < .001), rumination (p < .001), extrinsic motivation (p = .004), and positively related to intrinsic motivation (p < .001). Masculinity moderated the relationships between self-compassion and amotivation (p = .006), and identified regulation (p = .01). Self-compassion may be an effective resource for exercisers, especially those who identify as highly masculine.

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