Perceived stress and resilience among college students: The roles of self-compassion and anxiety symptomatology

The current study explored the role of self-compassion on the relationship between perceived stress and resilience among college students experiencing different levels of anxiety symptomatology.Three hundred and forty-five undergraduate students (Mage= 19.66; 74.8% female) were recruited from a public university in the northeastern United States.Participants completed self-report measures assessing perceived stress, self-compassion, anxiety symptomatology, and resilience.Self-compassion was found to indirectly affect the association between perceived stress and resilience at both low (b = -0.06, 95% CI [-0.08, -0.04]) and high levels (b = -0.03, 95% CI [-0.05, -0.01]) of anxiety symptomatology. The index of moderated mediation was significant (b = 0.005, 95% CI [0.001, 0.01]).Results of the present study suggest that interventions to enhance resilience should incorporate strategies aimed at managing stress and anxiety and increasing self-compassion.