Cited by 282Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPsychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionForgiveness and Related Behaviors

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Compassion for Others and Self-Compassion: Levels, Correlates, and Relationship with Psychological Well-being

Open access

López, Angélica, Sanderman, Robbert, Ranchor, Adelita V., Schroevers, Maya J.·2018·Mindfulness

DOI 10.1007/s12671-017-0777-zPMC PMC5770484

Open this paper in CoChat — free account Open PDF

Abstract

Compassion for others and self-compassion are assumed to be closely related concepts. Yet, as they have been mostly studied separately, little is known about their relationship and to what extent they differ or resemble each other with respect to their correlates. This cross-sectional study aimed to gain knowledge on their mean levels, interrelationship, and relationships to psychological well-being and demographic factors. A community sample of 328 adults completed a series of standardized self-report questionnaires to assess compassion for others, self-compassion, depressive symptoms, negative affect, and positive affect. Results showed that compassion for others and self-compassion were not significantly related. Self-compassion was more strongly related to negative and positive indicators of affect than compassion for others. Compassion for others was higher in women than in men, and in low educated individuals compared to higher educated individuals. In contrast, self-compassion was lower in low educated individuals. Future research can build up on these findings to enlarge the understanding of how compassion for others and self-compassion relate and differ from each other.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s12671-017-0777-z

Cites

33 of 33 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population
Radloff, L. S. (1977) · Applied Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/014662167700100306 · Cited by 53,267
Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales.
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063 · Cited by 32,433 · cited 1×
“Negative and Positive Affect Negative and positive affect were measured with the 20-item Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Peeters et al. 1999; Watson et al. 1988).”
Method
The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Self-Compassion
NEFF, K. D. (2003) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298860309027 · Cited by 6,436 · cited 11×
“Self-compassion also relates with improvements in self-reported indicators of positive affectivity, such as greater happiness, optimism, positive affect, and life satisfaction (Neff 2003a; Neff et al. 2007).”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Self-Compassion: An Alternative Conceptualization of a Healthy Attitude Toward Oneself
NEFF, K. (2003) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298860309032 · Cited by 5,440 · cited 11×
“Self-compassion also relates with improvements in self-reported indicators of positive affectivity, such as greater happiness, optimism, positive affect, and life satisfaction (Neff 2003a; Neff et al. 2007).”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Compassion: an evolutionary analysis and empirical review
Goetz, J. L., Keltner, D., & Simon-Thomas, E. (2010) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0018807 · Cited by 2,200
Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology
MacBeth, A., & Gumley, A. (2012) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003 · Cited by 1,838
Self-compassion and reactions to unpleasant self-relevant events: The implications of treating oneself kindly
Leary, M. R., Tate, E. B., Adams, C. E., Batts Allen, A., & Hancock, J. (2007) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.5.887 · Cited by 1,728
Gender and aggressive behavior: A meta-analytic review of the social psychological literature.
Eagly, A. H., & Steffen, V. J. (1986) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037//0033-2909.100.3.309 · Cited by 1,646
Self‐Compassion Versus Global Self‐Esteem: Two Different Ways of Relating to Oneself
Neff, K. D., & Vonk, R. (2008) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2008.00537.x · Cited by 1,258
An examination of self-compassion in relation to positive psychological functioning and personality traits
Neff, K. D., Rude, S. S., & Kirkpatrick, K. L. (2007) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2006.08.002 · Cited by 1,224 · cited 3×
“…we expected self-compassion to be significantly related to depressive symptoms, negative affect, and positive affect (MacBeth and Gumley 2012; Neff 2003a; Neff et al. 2007), and compassion for others to be significantly related to positive affect (Jazaieri et al. 2014; Mongrain et al. 2011).”
Background

Show all 34 references

Research works printed but not linked: 2

Gilbert, P. (2016). Three orientations of compassion and the development of their self-report measures. In M. Schroevers (Chair). Self-Compassion: assessment and benefits for psychological well-being. Symposium conducted at the Second International conference on mindfulness, Rome.
Peeters, F., Ponds, R., Boon-Vermeeren, M., Hoorweg, M., Kraan, H., & Meertens, L. (1999). Handleiding bij de Nederlandse vertaling van de Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Maastricht: Universiteit Maastricht, Vakgroep Psychiatrie en Neuropsychologie.

Sorted by citations

Items 101–200 of 282

The Identity Vitality-Pathology model: A novel theoretical framework proposing “identity state” as a modulator of the pathways from structural to health inequity
Bey, G. (2022) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115495 · Cited by 11
Gender and Culture Differences in Perception of Deceptive Video Filter Use
Herring, S. C., Dedema, M., Rodriguez, E., & Yang, L. (2022) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22131-6_5 · Cited by 9
Cognitive Self- Compassion (CSC) Online Intervention Program: A Pilot Study to Enhance the Self-Esteem of Adolescents Exposed to Parental Intimate Partner Violence
Louis, J. M., & Reyes, M. E. S. (2023) · Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/13591045231169089 · Cited by 9
Factor structure and psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales (SOCS)
Sarling, A., Sundin, Ö., Åhs, F., Gu, J., & Jansson, B. (2024) · Nordic Psychology · doi:10.1080/19012276.2022.2156381 · Cited by 9
“…with populations of a wide array of ages, there has been a clear tendency that women score higher than men on compassion for others (L (cid:2) opez et al., 2018; Tatum, 2012; Weisberg et al., 2011), while some studies have shown no difference between women and men on self-compassion (Kang et…”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Does Compassion-Focused Therapy-Based Online Intervention Work for Chinese International Students With High Self-Criticism? A Randomized Controlled Trail
Gu, X., Li, S., & Hyun, M. (2022) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/21582440221121596 · Cited by 10
Compassion in dementia caregiving: Psychometric properties of the Caregiving Compassion Scale in Spanish caregivers
Gallego‐Alberto, L., Romero‐Moreno, R., Márquez‐González, M., Schulz, R., Cabrera, I., Olazarán, J., & Losada‐Baltar, A. (2021) · Health & Social Care in the Community · doi:10.1111/hsc.13652 · Cited by 8
The Relations Between the Positive and Negative Components of Self-Compassion and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Women and Men
Shakeshaft, R., & McLaren, S. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-021-01696-4 · Cited by 8
Compassion-Oriented Mindfulness-Based Program and Health Professionals : A Single-Centered Pilot Study on Burnout
Marconi, A. M., Bàlzola, M. A., Gatto, R., Soresini, A., Mabilia, D., & Poletti, S. (2019) · European Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.5708/ejmh.14.2019.2.4 · Cited by 10
“A recent cross-sectional study shows how compassion for others and self-compassion were not significantly related, while self-compassion was more strongly related to negative and positive indicators of affect than compassion for others (LÓPEZ et al. 2018).”
Background
The Primacy of Compassionate Love: Loneliness and Psychological Well-Being in Later Life
Lekhak, N., Bhatta, T. R., Kahana, E., & Snyder, J. S. (2023) · Journal of Gerontological Nursing · doi:10.3928/00989134-20230309-03 · Cited by 8
The influence of pet ownership on self-compassion among nurses: a cross-sectional study
Jiang, H., Mei, Y., Wang, X., Wang, W., Lin, B., Zhao, Z., & Zhang, Z. (2023) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.15288 · Cited by 7
“Another cross-sectional study showed that less-educated individuals had lower self-compassion ( López et al., 2018 ).”
Background
Design for Well-Being and Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework of the Peer-to-Peer Sharing and Reuse Platform in the Circular Economy
Ho, M.-X., & YANAGISAWA, H. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15118852 · Cited by 7
The Neuroscience of Happiness and Well-Being
Rosenfeld, A. J. (2018) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.chc.2018.11.002 · Cited by 7
Care competencies in adolescents: Development of a new measure and relationships with well-being
Nguyen, C.-T. P., Beyers, W., & Valcke, M. (2020) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-019-00603-4 · Cited by 10
Psychometric evaluation of the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale in the Czech environment (SCBCS)
Novák, L., Maliňáková, K., Mikoška, P., Fürstová, J., Cann, R., & Tavel, P. (2021) · Mental Health Religion & Culture · doi:10.1080/13674676.2020.1850666 · Cited by 9
“The main reason is that the studies divide family status into: married/living together in a single household and other (López et al., 2018), and does not include the category single/not in a relationship.”
The longitudinal link between compassion toward others and subjective well-being: the role of beneficence as an underlying psychological process to explain this relationship
Oriol, X., Unanue, J., & Unanue, W. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03490-4 · Cited by 11
Key leaders' sustainable decision making: The roles of key leaders' sustainability mindset
Thanh, B. T., Le, M. T. T., Hung, N. V., & Anh, V. T. (2023) · Business Strategy & Development · doi:10.1002/bsd2.322 · Cited by 9
Self-referent upward counterfactual thinking mediates the relationship between self-compassion and depression
Angus, B. M., & Phillips, W. J. (2021) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050067.2021.1890980 · Cited by 6
“However, self-compassion is also linked with attempts to make oneself feel better (Leary et al., 2007) and is unrelated to compassion for others (López et al., 2018), which suggests that self-compassionate people may generate other-referent counterfactuals to mitigate self-reproach following…”
Background
There must be a way out: The consensual qualitative analysis of best coping practices during the COVID-19 pandemic
Halamová, J., Greškovičová, K., Baránková, M., Strnádelová, B., & Krizova, K. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.917048 · Cited by 5
“Comparably, other authors divided compassion in a similar way: compassion for others, compassion from others, and self-compassion (e.g., Neff and Pommier, 2013; Beaumont et al., 2016; Gilbert et al., 2017; López et al., 2018).”
The Prevalence of Compassion Fatigue among Oncology Healthcare Professionals in Three Public Healthcare Facilities in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Mlaba, P., Ginindza, T. G., & Hlongwana, K. W. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20075412 · Cited by 6
“This may be attributable to women being generally more nurturing and caring than men and therefore likely exhibiting more compassion for others, as argued in the social-role theory of gender and helping [40,41].”
Background
Relative Impact of Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Psychological Resilience on Mental Health Outcomes in Racially Minoritized Adults
Simmons, A., Ferry, M., & Christopher, M. (2023) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941231213646 · Cited by 8
“Like mindfulness, the cultivation of self-compassion is related to numerous psychological bene ﬁ ts, from reduced depression and chronic pain-related disability (Carvalho et al., 2020) to greater positive affect (López et al., 2018) and use of adaptive emotion regulation (Inwood & Ferrari, 2018).”
Mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between psychological flexibility and psychological well-being in women with breast cancerPreprint
Chen, H., Abdelrasheed, N. S. G., Mecheser, A. E., Tayyib, N. A., Ramaiah, P., Prasad, K., Estrada-Araoz, E. G., Alkhayyat, S., Ramadan, M. F., & Abdollahi, A. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2925992/v1 · Cited by 6
From self-care to earth care: Uncovering the role of self-compassion in the link between environmental identity and pro-environmental behaviors in young men
Kantar, A., & Yılmazcan, B. (2024) · Environmental Research and Technology · doi:10.35208/ert.1499294 · Cited by 5
A mixed methods exploration of the interrelationships among self-compassion, stress management, psychological capital, and life satisfaction in Chinese university students
Huang, P., Lin, Z., Wang, B., & Du, Z. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1510987 · Cited by 15
Mental Health in Swiss Veterinary Medicine Students: Variables Associated with Depression Scores
Gurtner, C., Krieger, T., & McConnell, M. (2024) · Journal of Veterinary Medical Education · doi:10.3138/jvme-2023-0149 · Cited by 5
Applying a process-based therapy approach to compassion focused therapy: A synergetic alliance
Fraser, M. I., & Gregory, K. (2024) · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2024.100754 · Cited by 11
Measuring Occupational Well-Being Indicators: Scale Construction and Validation
Daovisan, H., & Intarakamhang, U. (2024) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs14030248 · Cited by 10
“Loon et al. [74] and L ó pez et al. [75] measured how the key constructs of psychological well-being are environmental mastery, life purpose, self-acceptance, and job autonomy.”
Background
Experiences of Compassion in Adults With a Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Fagan, S., Hodge, S., & Morris, C. (2022) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941211000661 · Cited by 5
Caring for the Carer – Self-Compassion in the Health Professions
Pavlova, A., & Consedine, N. S. (2023) · Mindfulness in behavioral health · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-22348-8_14 · Cited by 5
An ecological perspective on the flow of compassion among Iranian learners of English as a foreign language
Wang, G., Soleimanzadeh, S., & Shirvan, M. E. (2023) · Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching · doi:10.14746/ssllt.32804 · Cited by 6
Predictive Model of Anxiety and Depression Perception in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Possible Implications for Clinical Treatment
Cuerda‐Ballester, M., Bustos, A., Sancho-Cantus, D., Martínez‐Rubio, D., Privado, J., Alarcón-Jiménez, J., Villarón-Casales, C., de Bernardo, N., Navarro-Illana, E., & Ortí, J. E. D. L. R. (2024) · Bioengineering · doi:10.3390/bioengineering11010100 · Cited by 5
“Self-compassion is correlated with reduced levels of depression and anxiety, contributing to greater overall well-being [29,30].”
Background
Effectiveness of compassion-based interventions at work: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis considering process evaluation and training transfer
Román-Niaves, M. S., Vasquez, C., Coo, C., Nielsen, K. M., Llorens, S., & Salanova, M. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-05959-w · Cited by 8
“This distinction was made due to the recognition that self-compassion can differ from compassion towards others (López et al., 2018), and compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction are considered as outcomes; (3) any studies conducted outside the workplace or involving the general population,…”
The Spanish Version of the Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale (SOCS–O) in Nursing Students: Psychometric Properties and Its Relation with Mindfulness
Sansó, N., Escrivá‐Martínez, T., Flowers, S.-L. D., West, M. A., & Galiana, L. (2024) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-024-02400-y · Cited by 7
“…emotional, and nurturing in contrast to men who stereo-typically are described as feeling awkward talking about their emotions; as well as in more robust scientific studies, where women are often shown to better identify emotions (Connolly et al., 2019) and recognize suffering (López et al., 2018).”
Personal growth and life satisfaction during COVID-19: Self-forgiveness and compassion as correlates
Beltrán-Morillas, A. M., & Expósito, F. (2021) · Escritos de Psicología / Psychological Writings · doi:10.24310/espsiescpsi.v14i2.13519 · Cited by 8
“This newfound compassion could promote full awareness of others’ adversities and lead to positive psychological outcomes (Baer, 2010; Lee et al., 2021; López et al., 2018; Neff & Seppala, 2016).”
BackgroundInfluential
Gender differences in pro-environmental nutrition behavior among football fans
Scharfenkamp, K., & Wicker, P. V. (2023) · German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research · doi:10.1007/s12662-023-00911-9 · Cited by 5
Carving Stories at their Natural JointsPreprint
Dubourg, E., Thouzeau, V., Beuchot, T., Bonard, C., Boyer, P., Chevallier, C., Clasen, M., Boon-Falleur, M., Fiorio, G., Fitouchi, L., et al. (2024) · OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/me6bz · Cited by 12
Hierarchical Taxonomy of Emotion Regulation (HiTOE), Tactic Flexibility, and the Need for Meta-Emotion-RegulationPreprint
Kraft, L., Brand, S., & Lindenberg, K. (2024) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/atn5c · Cited by 4
Compassion, secure flourishing, and organizational commitment of managers
Ford, M., Rothmann, S., & van Zyl, L. E. (2024) · Frontiers in Organizational Psychology · doi:10.3389/forgp.2024.1383378 · Cited by 5
Resilience in Turkish Adolescents From Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: The Role of Courage, Self‐Compassion, and Prosocial Behavior Tendencies
Altıntaş‐Atay, Ö., & Çok, F. (2024) · Psychology in the Schools · doi:10.1002/pits.23372 · Cited by 4
Unraveling the link between mindfulness facets and self-compassion dimensions with non-suicidal self-injury functions and behaviors
Per, M., Schmelefske, E., Bouchard, S., & Khoury, B. (2025) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-025-07868-y · Cited by 5
“UCS comprises self-judgement, isolation, and overidentifi - cation, and is seen as a marker of vulnerability to psychopathology (e.g., Brenner et al., 2017; López et al., 2018; Muris et al., 2019 ).”
Experience-sampling methods for self-compassion research: A meta-analysis
Fraser, M. I., Yap, K., Sahdra, B. K., Li, W., Andreacchio, M. T., Wong, T. Y., & Ciarrochi, J. (2025) · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100913 · Cited by 5
Does spiritual leadership foster prosocial knowledge sharing in the workplace? A social dilemma perspective
Zoghbi‐Manrique‐de‐Lara, P., Romero‐Domínguez, L., & Agarwal, U. A. (2024) · VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems · doi:10.1108/vjikms-07-2023-0157 · Cited by 4
Dynamic duo is inseparable: Self‐compassion and compassion for others interact to predict well‐being
Chio, F. H. N., Mak, W. W. S., & Cheng, R. H. L. (2024) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12641 · Cited by 4
Self-compassion, automatic thoughts, and mental pain in depression: Mediating effects and clinical implications
Ren, L.-N., Pang, J.-S., Jiang, Q., Zhang, X., Li, L.-L., Wang, J., Li, J., Ma, Y.-Y., & Jia, W. (2025) · World Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.5498/wjp.v15.i4.101105 · Cited by 4
Latent profile analysis and influence factors of self-compassion among colorectal cancer patients with enterostomy from China: a cross-sectional study
Hu, H., Dou, W., Qian, M., & Wang, Y. (2025) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-097955 · Cited by 4
“It should highlight the most important results and explain their significance in the context of existing knowledge.”
Welas Asih Diri dan Kesejahteraan Subjektif pada Remaja dengan Orang Tua Bercerai
Ayulanningsih, A., & Karjuniwati, K. (2020) · Psikologika Jurnal Pemikiran dan Penelitian Psikologi · doi:10.20885/psikologika.vol25.iss1.art7 · Cited by 4
Common and distinct neural substrates of the compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding dimensions of self-compassion
Wang, Y., Wu, R., Li, L., Ma, J., Yang, W., & Dai, Z. (2022) · Brain Imaging and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s11682-022-00723-9 · Cited by 5
Psychometric Properties of the Self-Compassion Scale in the Polish Population
Holas, P., Shevchuk, Y., & Jankowski, T. (2023) · Roczniki Psychologiczne · doi:10.18290/rpsych2023.0009 · Cited by 4
Exploring Self-Compassion among Recreational Dancers: Differences Between Tango and Ballet - Dance Teaching Implications Through Somatic and Embodied Disciplines
Zafeiroudi, A., Chatzipanteli, A., Athanasiou, A. C., Tsartsapakis, I., Kopanou, A., & Kouthouris, C. (2022) · Journal of Educational and Social Research · doi:10.36941/jesr-2022-0140 · Cited by 4
“Finally, people with lower educational status present profiles of more compassion toward themselves (Lopez et al., 2018; Stellar et al., 2012).”
Background
Baltic Journal of Psychology; Volume 19, Number 1&2
University of Latvia. Faculty of Education, D. O. P. (2018) · BALTIC JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY · doi:10.22364/bjp.19.01-02 · Cited by 4
An online compassion-focused intervention for middle school students: the Inspiring Comfort program
Fox, J. K., Walls, T., Thomas, H. M., Marr, J., Breux, P., & Warner, C. M. (2024) · Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties · doi:10.1080/13632752.2024.2399886 · Cited by 3
The 7-day compassion diary: Evaluating a brief compassion flows training on body appreciation and cosmetic surgery interest
Matera, C., Fornaini, E., Rollero, C., Donizzetti, A. R., Caso, D., Grano, C., Tosti, A. E., & Nerini, A. (2025) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2025.102001 · Cited by 3
A qualitative study of compassion from the perspective of adolescents: a foundation for counselling practice
Laughton, S., Abkhezr, P., Kirby, J. N., & Burton, N. W. (2026) · British Journal of Guidance and Counselling · doi:10.1080/03069885.2025.2529009 · Cited by 3
Consensual Qualitative Research of Compassion and Self-Compassion Definitions: A General Public Perspective
Halamová, J., Petrovajová, A., & Žilinský, T. (2022) · The Qualitative Report · doi:10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5350 · Cited by 3
Estudios sobre la Ley Orgánica de protección integral a la infancia y la adolescencia frente a la violencia
Ballesté, I. R., & Mallol, V. C. (2023) · Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València eBooks · doi:10.4995/ia.2023.637401 · Cited by 4
Intimate Partner Violence and Help-Seeking Among Iranian Women: Exploring the Role of Compassion and Psychological Consequences
Salimi, H., Abadi, F., Beeble, M. L., & Mohammadi, K. (2024) · Feminist Criminology · doi:10.1177/15570851241274867 · Cited by 3
“Compassion can be applied to oneself and others, however studies show that self-compassion and compassion toward others are unique concepts (López et al., 2018) and often inconsistently and sometimes weakly related (Bayir-Toper et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2021).”
PROTOCOL: Summarizing and Critically Evaluating the Concepts of Self-Compassion: A Systematic Review of Conceptualizations
Schöne‐Hoffmann, R., Schäfer, S. K., David, C., Reis, D., Benick, M., & Perels, F. (2025) · Campbell Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/cl2.70054 · Cited by 3
“However, research on the relationship between scales measuring compassion for others and self ‐ compassion has produced ambiguous findings (e.g., Gu et al. 2019; López et al. 2018).”
The Virtue of Self-Compassion
Keller, S., & Huppert, F. A. (2021) · Ethical Theory and Moral Practice · doi:10.1007/s10677-021-10171-x · Cited by 3
Examination of compassion levels of special education teacher candidates in terms of some socio-demographic variables
Nuri, C., VAROL, B., & Direktör, C. (2021) · Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences · doi:10.18844/cjes.v16i3.5863 · Cited by 3
The Relationship between Self-Compassion and the Experience of Memorial Symptoms in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer
Zarei, K., Musarezaie, A., & Ashouri, E. (2021) · Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research · doi:10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_284_20 · Cited by 3
“regarded self‐compassion as a negative trait but viewed compassion for others as a positive trait.[21] Schellekens et al.”
Background
Post-Traumatic Growth and Self-Compassion Level in Hemodialysis Patients
Arpacı, R., & Tanrıverdi, D. (2023) · Illness Crisis & Loss · doi:10.1177/10541373231203362 · Cited by 3
Spiritual care, compassion for others and light triad among clergy, social workers and hospice staff
Fopka-Kowalczyk, M. J., Krok, D., & Kocur, D. J. (2024) · Palliative Medicine in Practice · doi:10.5603/pmp.98543 · Cited by 3
Apakah Kebahahagiaan dapat Mendorong Seseorang Membantu Sesama? Peranan Mediasi Psychological Well-being antara Religiusitas dan Filantropi pada Anggota Aisyiyah Sidoarjo
Mariyati, L. I., & Hazim, H. (2024) · G-Couns Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling · doi:10.31316/gcouns.v8i2.5741 · Cited by 3
Validation of a German Translation of the Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales and Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales in a General Population Sample
Brophy, K., Emery, M., MacDonald, C., Bigelow, A., Ernst, J., Graser, J., Lyons, N., & Körner, A. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02545-4 · Cited by 5
“…self-compassion, in Western psychological research, linking compassion to numerous positive outcomes including enhanced creativity and well-being (López et al., 2018; Yarnell & Neff, 2013; Zessin et al., 2015), as well as buffering symptoms of depression, insecure attachment, stress, and other…”
Compassion envers soi au travail : exploration de l’effet médiateur du sentiment de sécurité sociale
Pinard, F., Montani, F., Courcy, F., & Dagenais‐Desmarais, V. (2020) · Le travail humain · doi:10.3917/th.833.0179 · Cited by 3
Self-Compassion Versus Self-Esteem for an Experience of Ostracism
Anderson, R. S. (2019) · Digital Commons - DU (University of Denver) · Cited by 3
Investigating the Relationship between Self-Compassion and Body Image with Postpartum Depression in Women Referring to Health Centres in Iran
Bakhteh, A., Salari, N., Jaberghaderi, N., & Khosrorad, T. (2023) · Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research · doi:10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_269_21 · Cited by 3
“412 Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research ¦ Volume 28 ¦ Issue 4 ¦ July-August 2023 found a positive and significant relationship between increased levels of self‐compassion and decreased levels of depression and anxiety in mothers,[10] which was similar to the results of other studies.[11,12] In comparison…”
Empathy as Mediator in Relationship between Self-Compassion and Prosocial Behavior among Adolescents
Widyastuti, A., & Savitri, L. S. Y. (2023) · Jurnal Psikologi · doi:10.22146/jpsi.78312 · Cited by 10
Spiritual Care, Meaning in Life and Inner Harmony: The Parallel Mediation of Compassion for Others and Self-Compassion in Palliative Care Workers
Krok, D., Kocur, D. J., & Fopka-Kowalczyk, M. J. (2025) · Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care · doi:10.1080/15524256.2025.2492018 · Cited by 2
“It is worth emphasizing that research has indicated weak or insignificant interconnections between compassion and self-compassion (López et al., 2018) and sometimes even a negative correlation (Mills et al., 2018).”
Empathy and Compassion
Matthaeus, H., & Singer, T. (2025) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009342919.031 · Cited by 2
A qualitative evaluation of a compassion-focused therapy group intervention for UK healthcare staff at an acute hospital trust
Rammou, A., Allan, S. M., Dean-Tozer, M., & Baker, J. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0333582 · Cited by 2
Dualism and beyond: A unified framework for self- and other-oriented compassion
Quaglia, J. T., Leigh, D., Berry, D. R., & Simmer‐Brown, J. (2025) · Theory & Psychology · doi:10.1177/09593543251365556 · Cited by 3
“Regarding empirical developments, a growing number of studies are noteworthy for their focus on both self-and other-oriented compassion (Cha et al., 2023; Ciarrochi et al., 2024; López et al., 2018; Quaglia et al., 2022, 2025; Sahdra et al., 2023).”
An examination of the heterogeneity of the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder, self‐compassion and gratitude
Brier, Z. M. F., Burt, K. B., Legrand, A. C., & Price, M. (2022) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2815 · Cited by 2
How an Interest in Mindfulness Influences Linguistic Markers in Online Microblogging Discourse
Rivera, C. E., Kaunhoven, R. J., & Griffith, G. M. (2023) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-023-02098-4 · Cited by 2
The role of death anxiety as a mediator in the relationship between personality types and psychological well-being in coronavirus disease-2019 patients
Veisi, R., Kakabarai, K., Chehri, A., & Arefi, M. (2023) · Journal of Education and Health Promotion · doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_195_22 · Cited by 2
“Psychological well‐being is regarded as one of the most significant measures of the health of the community, and it refers to emotional recovery for the ability to enjoy life while experiencing pain, despair, and misery, as well as attaining a degree of belief in oneself and others’ dignity.[4] Psychological well‐bein…”
Background
An examination of the association between mindfulness and compassion for others in psychotherapists: A mediating role of self‐compassion
Lalor, J., & Khoshfetrat, A. (2023) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12735 · Cited by 3
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION IN ADOLESCENTS FACING BULLYING: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY
Agustiningsih, N., & Karimah, H. (2023) · Jurnal Smart Keperawatan · doi:10.34310/jskp.v10i2.428 · Cited by 2
“…internal resource, has an important protective effect to help adolescents experiencing stressful events to reduce psychosocial adjustment difficulties (Chu et al ., 2018;Ferrari et al., 2019; Lathren et al., 2019; López et al., 2018; Phillips, 2019; Zeng et al., 2020; H. Zhang et al., 2019).”
Background
Self-Warmth, Self-Coldness, and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Adults
Skipper, C. J., & McLaren, S. (2024) · Journal of Bisexuality · doi:10.1080/15299716.2024.2346847 · Cited by 2
“This gender difference may be due to women scoring higher than men on the negative subscales that constitute the self-cold-ness component of self-compassion (Lopez, Sanderman, Ranchor, et al., 2018).”
Self-criticism is not a simple phenomenon: new evidence of the existence of different forms of self-criticism in a Spanish sample
Cavada, C. L., Iriarte, L., Herrero, M., Martínez‐Pampliega, A., & Anchía, R. J. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-06681-3 · Cited by 2
“…the relationship between the Inadequate-Self and depressive symptoms to a greater extent than in previous studies with representative samples (Körner et al., 2015; López et al., 2018), and similar those using convenience samples of students and adults (Ferrari et al., 2018). significant (Fig.”
Self-Compassion and Spiritual Well-Being Among Employees in Educational Institutions
Tandukar, R., Shah, N. K., & Adhikari, B. (2024) · Interdisciplinary Journal of Innovation in Nepalese Academia · doi:10.3126/idjina.v3i2.73213 · Cited by 2
The ripple effect of compassion on psychosocial flourishing: A mediational model of individual and organizational factors in Indian public sector
Jain, S., & Garg, R. (2025) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104837 · Cited by 4
Mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between psychological flexibility and psychological well-being in women with breast cancer
Abdelrasheed, N. S. G., Petkov, I., Kaur, H., Sharma, A., Prasad, K., Nazarova, D., Gardanova, Z. R., Nikolenko, D. A., Ismail, S. M., & Zwamel, A. H. (2025) · Psychology Health & Medicine · doi:10.1080/13548506.2025.2478660 · Cited by 5
“Research has shown that self-compassion is positively associated with life satisfaction [29], subjective happiness [30], positive affect [31], and resilience [32, 33].”
Kelekatan dan Kesejahteraan Psikologis Anak dan Remaja: Studi Meta-Analisis
Wahyuningsih, H., Novitasari, R., & Kusumaningrum, F. A. (2021) · Psympathic Jurnal ilmiah Psikologi · doi:10.15575/psy.v7i2.6426 · Cited by 13
Envious Behavior among University Students: Role of Personality Traits and Self-Compassion
Zonash, R., Arouj, K., & Jamala, B. (2021) · Journal of Research in Social Sciences · doi:10.52015/jrss.9i1.95 · Cited by 2
Effects of self-compassion on The Four Immeasurables and happiness of volunteers in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region
Thammarongpreechachai, P., Teerapong, T., Wongpinpech, V., & Weinstein, B. L. (2021) · Mental Health Religion & Culture · doi:10.1080/13674676.2021.1965109 · Cited by 2
The Lived Experience and Impact of Compassion for Others in Undergraduate Students’ Recovery From Suicidal Ideation
Allegro, H. N. A., & Vliet, K. J. V. (2024) · Emerging Adulthood · doi:10.1177/21676968241231025 · Cited by 4
“Furthermore, although a person can be highly compassionate toward others while being low in compassion toward themselves (Kirby et al., 2019; López et al., 2018), the practice of extending compassion outward may help a person become more self-reassuring in the face of their own emotional pain…”
Background
Psychometric evaluation of the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale in the Czech environment (SCBCS)Preprint
Novák, L., Maliňáková, K., Mikoška, P., Fürstlova, J., Cann, R. F., & Tavel, P. (2020) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/zgtq9 · Cited by 2
The Compassionate Brain Theory of AutismPreprint
Galvin, J. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/qd4pk · Cited by 2
Triguna (three qualities) personality model and two-factor conceptualization of self-compassion: a new insight to understand achievement goal orientations
Verma, Y., Tiwari, G. K., Pandey, A., & Pandey, R. (2020) · Current Issues in Personality Psychology · doi:10.5114/cipp.2020.100096 · Cited by 4
Emotional evaluations of pictures of female and male soccer players
Schroter, F. A., Hofmann, P., & Jansen, P. (2021) · International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1612197x.2021.1979077 · Cited by 1
The role of mindfulness and cognitive fusion in predicting self-compassion among patients with schizophrenia: a cross-sectional study
Hamed, W. E., Kamel, N. A., Kappi, A. A., Babegi, A. S., Dailah, H. G., & El-Etreby, R. R. (2024) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-024-06204-1 · Cited by 1
Factors associated with low self-compassion in young adults
O’Loughlin, E. K., Marashi, M., Beer, S., Sabiston, C. M., Nesbitt, A. E., O’Rourke, R. H., Sylvestre, M., & O’Loughlin, J. L. (2024) · Canadian Journal of Public Health · doi:10.17269/s41997-024-00965-8 · Cited by 8
“Higher levels of self-compassion are associated with emotional well-being, increased resilience, and healthier relationships with oneself and others (López et al., 2018).”
Compassion Scale: factor structure and scale validation in Hong Kong adolescents
Ngai, S. S., Cheung, C., Ng, Y., Guo, H., Du, H.-L., Chen, C., Wong, L., Zhou, Q., & Pang, W.-T. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1508402 · Cited by 1
“…toward others is notably distinct from the notion of self-compassion or compassion for oneself, as it encompasses the emotional response that arises when bearing witness to another individual’s suffering, as well as the subsequent desire to provide aid and assistance (López et al., 2018).”
Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Application of the One-Parameter Item Response Model to the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale (SCBCS)
Adu, P., Popoola, T., Iqbal, N., Roemer, A., Collings, S. C., Aspin, C., Medvedev, O. N., & Simpson, C. R. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02666-w · Cited by 1
“This assessment aimed to establish the convergent validity of the SCBCS. Existing literature has consistently documented a positive association between these constructs and compassion towards others (Chan et al., 2022; López et al., 2018).”
How Do Trait Mindfulness Facets Relate to Compassion for Self and Others: A Network Analysis on the Heartful Aspects of Mindfulness
Paluan, E., Fuochi, G., Boin, J., & Voci, A. (2025) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-025-02700-x · Cited by 2
“Some studies reported minimal or nonsignificant correlations between self-compassion and compassion (e.g., López et al., 2018; Lucarini et al., 2023), while others suggested moderate associations (e.g., García-Campayo et al., 2023; Pommier et al., 2020).”
Self-Compassion and Ikigai
Kotera, Y., Wilkes, J., & Colman, R. D. (2025) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009407427.013 · Cited by 1
Applying Self-Compassion: Does Self-Compassion Influence Other-Focused Care in Healthcare?
Cha, J. E., & Consedine, N. S. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-89095-6_23 · Cited by 1
The development and the factor analysis of the Sussex-Oxford Compassion from others scale in the Slovak population
Halamová, J., Kanovský, M., Greškovičová, K., Strnádelová, B., & Blaskova, L. J. (2026) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-026-06846-4 · Cited by 1
Exploring gender differences in the relations between passion, grit, growth mindset, compassion and success: an explorative study
Hermundsson, F., & Sigmundsson, H. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106664 · Cited by 3
A longitudinal study of loving-kindness compassion, mindfulness, and psychological well-being: Cross-cultural insights from Vietnamese and American employees
Ly, T. M. C., Nguyen, K. H., Nguyen, D. P., Trinh, A. K., & Tran, M. D. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106654 · Cited by 1
Dismantling the mechanism of VR self-compassion training: A two-session controlled trial with active controls
Xia, H., Coundouris, S. P., Elliott, T. C., Baghaei, N., Oestreich, L., Greig, L., Henry, J. D., & Kirby, J. N. (2026) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2026.105102 · Cited by 2

Authors: López, A., Sanderman, R., Ranchor, A. V., & Schroevers, M. J.
Affiliations: University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
Corresponding author: López, Angélica
ORCID: López, Angélica
Sanderman, Robbert
Ranchor, Adelita V.
Schroevers, Maya J.
Venue: Mindfulness
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2017-07-18
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
Pages: 325-331
ISSN: 1868-8527 (ISSN-L)
1868-8535
DOI: 10.1007/s12671-017-0777-z
PMC: PMC5770484
OpenAlex: W2736494566
Cited by: 281
References: 34
Citations by year: 2026: 26 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 45 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 1
FWCI: 17.98
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: hybrid
doi.org
Licence: cc-by
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 (unspecified)
Locations: Mindfulness (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
University of Twente Research Information (publishedVersion, cc-by)
University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
University of Twente Research Information (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders: University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Forgiveness and Related Behaviors
Keywords: compassion for others, self-compassion, psychological well-being, affect, depressive symptoms, gender differences, educational attainment, positive affect, negative affect

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Compassion for Others and Self-Compassion: Levels, Correlates, and Relationship with Psychological Well-being

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Self-check

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks