{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Longitudinal Relations among Self-Compassion, Self-Esteem, and Depressive Symptoms in College Students: Disentangling the Within-Person Process from Stable Between-Person Differences.
{Author}: Shi X;Zhang W;Chen X;Zhu Y;
{Journal}: J Youth Adolesc
{Volume}: 0
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Aug 8
{Factor}: 5.625
{DOI}: 10.1007/s10964-024-02069-5
{Abstract}: Although previous studies have shown that self-compassion is associated with self-esteem and depressive symptoms, little is known about the intra-individual processes and the temporal dynamics of these variables. This study used a longitudinal design to explore the association between self-compassion, self-esteem and depressive symptoms among 5785 college students (aged 17-22 years; Mage = 18.63, SD = 0.88; 48.2% females). The participants were assessed six times in a six-month interval over three years. The random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were used to disentangle within-person processes from stable between-person differences. Results of RI-CLPMs indicated that at the within-person level, self-compassion can positively predict subsequent self-esteem and negatively predict subsequent depressive symptoms, and vice versa. Self-esteem played a longitudinal mediating role in the prediction from self-compassion to depressive symptoms at the within-person level. These results indicate that cultivating self-compassion in college students is crucial as it can bolster their self-esteem and alleviate depressive symptoms.