Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0003-4568-7451

Date of Award

12-31-2025

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Lizabeth Roemer

Second Advisor

Sarah Hayes-Skelton

Third Advisor

Abbey Eisenhower

Abstract

Psychological research often does not include diverse samples or focus on the experiences of people of color (POC). Western interventions have been created through an individualistic lens and are often not culturally responsive to the needs of POC. Despite the inclusion of common humanity and interconnectedness in the construct of self-compassion, research on self-compassion interventions has predominantly focused on self-oriented processes. Thus, the present study examined the associations between self-compassion, social support, and mental health outcomes, as well as the moderating role of interdependent values, among a sample of individuals who identify as POC at a U.S. university. Specifically, the present study investigated whether self-compassion and social support predict better mental health outcomes. Further, the study assessed whether self-compassion mediates the association between social support and mental health. Lastly, the study explored whether the association between social support and self-compassion in the mediation model is stronger among participants who endorse a higher degree of interdependent values. Results revealed that self-compassion and social support both predicted better mental health outcomes. Self-compassion partially mediated the association between social support and mental health symptoms as well as the association between social support and well-being. The moderating effect of interdependent values on the association between social support and self-compassion was not statistically significant. These results contribute to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the benefits of self-compassion and social support in reducing mental health symptoms and promoting well-being among POC. The findings suggest that self-compassion may be a potential mechanism through which social support improves mental health outcomes; however, given the cross-sectional nature of this study, further research is needed to investigate these associations. The clinical implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Comments

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