The DOI matches its Crossref record, with a small difference in title or year; 77 of the 79 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Self-compassion, physical health, and health behaviour: a meta-analysis
Abstract
This meta-analysis investigated relationships between self-compassion and (1) physical health and (2) health-promoting behaviour in a large pooled sample (N = 29,588) sourced from 94 peer-reviewed articles. As hypothesised, omnibus analyses revealed positive associations between self-compassion and both physical health (r = .18) and health behaviour (r = .26). Moderation analyses using 290 effects found that both associations varied according to health domain, participant age, intervention duration, and self-compassion measure. Self-compassion predicted outcomes in most health domains, with the strongest effects observed on global physical health, functional immunity, composite health behaviour, sleep, and danger avoidance. It did not predict frailty, maladaptive bodily routines, and substance abuse. Multi-session interventions designed to boost self-compassion predicted increased physical health and health behaviour, thereby supporting causal links between self-compassion and health outcomes. The effects of single-session inductions were non-significant. The mean effect of self-compassion on physical health was non-significant for young participants (12.00–19.99) and its effect on health behaviour was weakest among older participants (40.00+). Results support the proposition that self-compassion can promote better physical health. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.
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“Yet, it is possible that it is related to positive reframing of negative events; indeed, it is associated with adaptive coping [77,78] and emotional stability [79] and it contributes to predicting health and well-being also in chronic illness contexts [80,81].”
From The Role of Emotion-Related Abilities in the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review (2022) · cites this paper as [81]
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Items 201–224 of 224
Mallard, A. J., Broussard, M., Zeifman, R. J., Espinoza, D., Cloutier, S. A., Ross, S., Bogenschutz, M. P., & Pagni, B. A. (2026) · Journal of Humanistic Psychology · doi:10.1177/00221678261442571
Ateşsönmez, B., AYDOĞDU, B. E., & TOLAN, Ö. Ç. (2026) · Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi · doi:10.35379/cusosbil.1668227
Mayer, I. F., Käser, I., & Neuenschwander, R. (2026) · Research in Neurodiversity · doi:10.1016/j.rin.2026.100031
Mitchell, K. E., Kirkman, A., & Taylor, E. (2026) · British Journal of Guidance and Counselling · doi:10.1080/03069885.2026.2663162
Chen, H., Abulimiti, S., Wan, M., Yu, F.-Y., Fang, Y., Cao, H., Chen, F. J., Aini, J., Deng, X., Yan, H., et al. (2026) · Vaccines · doi:10.3390/vaccines14060513
“Previous studies indicated that a higher level of self-compassion was associated with a higher likelihood of performing healthy behaviors, including quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and seeking medical care, and thus reduced the risk of disease and mortality [35].”
Valachiné, Z. G., Pete, K. N., Sik‐Lányi, C., Gőbel, O., Varga, J. T., Müller, V., & Cserjési, R. (2026) · International Journal of Art Therapy · doi:10.1080/17454832.2026.2682754
Wang, X., & Wang, X. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-9984763/v1
A survey of topical treatment adherence and self-compassion in people living with psoriasis
Clarke, E. N., & Thorneloe, R. J. (2026) · Skin Health and Disease · doi:10.1093/skinhd/vzag100
Aday Psikolojik Danışmanların Perspektifinden Öz-Şefkat: Fenomenolojik Bir İnceleme
Erol, B., & Aydın, G. S. (2026) · Okul Psikolojik Danışmanlığı Dergisi · doi:10.58433/opdd.1956750
Huang, Y., Chen, M. T., Zhong, S., Liu, Y., Xu, R., Li, Y., Li, K., Wei, Y., & Luo, X. H. (2026) · Renal Failure · doi:10.1080/0886022x.2026.2670075
“Self-compassion is viewed as a beneficial psychological trait, and it has been shown to mitigate the negative effects of stress on mental health [15,16].”
Mindful eating moderates the link between self-compassion and body mass Index
Giannou, K., Köse, G., Huybrechts, I., Mantzios, M., & Mouratidou, T. (2026) · Nutrition and Health · doi:10.1177/02601060261463454
Wang, A., & Yu, G. (2026) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/13591053261463114
Diagnostic validation of the nursing diagnosis inadequate self-compassion
Devesa, A. M., Martínez, D. G., de Souza‐Oliveira, A. C., Jiménez, D. M., Pérez, P. E., & Morales-Moreno, I. (2026) · International Journal of Nursing Knowledge · doi:10.1177/20473087261448788
“However, when self-compassion improves, their emotional reactions could equilibrate with kindness and full attention, so that their self-perception and dealing with stress improve (Phillips & Hine, 2019).”
Resilience as a mediator of self-compassion and psychological well-being among Arab adults
Ali, M. B., Alyousef, D. S. A., Ahmed, M., & AL-Dossary, S. A. (2026) · Discover Psychology · doi:10.1007/s44202-026-00838-w
Wang, X., Long, X., Zhang, X., & Wang, X. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1889435
“This may be because self-compassion enables individuals to respond to stress and negative emotions with understanding and acceptance rather than self-judgment (33, 34).”
Self-compassion, stress and health behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Liu, J., Conner, M., Lainidi, O., Yu, S., & O'Connor, D. B. (2026) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2026.2701279
Helvich, J., Novák, L., Jozefiaková, B., Milková, E., & Tavel, P. (2026) · Cyberpsychology Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace · doi:10.5817/cp2026-4-12
“Extensive evidence has linked self-compassion to various aspects of physical health (Homan & Sirois, 2017; Phillips & Hine, 2021; Sirois, 2020).”
Joss, D. (2026) · Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s40501-026-00395-y
“Self-compassion in particular has been shown to facilitate health-promoting behaviors [46].”
Alaca, N., Turhan, S., Acar, A. Ö., & ÖZTÜRK, S. (2026) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0356869
“Nevertheless, meta-analytic associations between self-compassion and physical health or health-promoting behaviors are generally small to moderate and vary across health domains; accordingly, the present findings should not be generalized to all health behaviors or clinical outcomes [74].”
Bagheri, A. M., Kianimoghadam, A. S., Ebadi, Z., Masjedi‐Arani, A., & فسخودی, م. ا. (2026) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.71772
“This interpretation aligns with Neff’s conceptualization of self-compassion as comprising self-kindness, common humanity, and mindful awareness, all of which may buffer against emotional exhaustion and behavioral disengagement (Phillips and Hine 2021 ).”
Mayeli, S., Nazari, F., Rostami‐Nejad, M., Kianimoghadam, A. S., Arani, A. M., Sadeghi, A., & Lotfinia, S. (2026) · Journal of Education and Health Promotion · doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_1234_25
“[38,39] Among CD patients, it’s associated with lower anxiety and depression, [34,40] improved adherence to health behaviors, [41,42] and better GFD compliance.”
Taheri, A., Nooripour, R., Shabanzadeh, M., Barani, H., & Rose, A. L. (2026) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-026-05779-6
“There is accumulating evidence suggesting that self-compassion plays a crucial role in promoting psychological well-being, physical health, secure attachment, prosocial behavior, and high-quality interpersonal relationships [19–22].”
Wang, H., Zhang, X., Haider, A., & Zhang, Y. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108031
Exploring profiles based on cyber victimization in young adults
Ciminli, A. (2026) · Turkish Journal of Education · doi:10.19128/turje.1922297
Metadata
- Authors
- Phillips, W. J., & Hine, D. W.
- Affiliations
- University of New England (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Phillips, Wendy J.
- Venue
- Health Psychology Review
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-12-22
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 113-139
- ISSN
- 1743-7199 (ISSN-L)
- 1743-7202
- OpenAlex
- W2995869527
- Cited by
- 224
- References
- 79
- Citations by year
- 2026: 37 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 58 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 1.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Health Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RUNE (Research UNE) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health, psychology, and well-being
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Wellbeing Research
- Keywords
- self-compassion, physical health, health behavior, health-promoting behaviours, functional immunity, sleep, danger avoidance, frailty, substance abuse, self-compassion interventions, age differences
- MeSH terms
- Empathy, Humans, Health Behavior
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