Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: May 3, 2024
Date Accepted: Oct 29, 2024
The Relationship Between Self-compassion and Resilience in the General Population: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Resilience can protect individuals from the negative impact of adversity, facilitating a swift recovery. The exploration of protective factors contributing to resilience has been a central focus of research. Self-compassion, a positive psychological construct that involves treating oneself with kindness, holds the potential to bolster resilience. Although several studies have indicated an association between self-compassion and resilience, there is a lack of systematic reviews and meta-analysis examining this relationship, and the potential moderators and mechanisms.
Objective:
This study aims to systematically review the literature on the relationship between self-compassion and resilience in the general population, perform a meta-analysis to quantify the effect size of their association, and explore potential moderators (e.g., age, gender, culture, health status) and mediators.
Methods:
We will search Web of Science, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, and CNKI for peer-reviewed studies (including observational and experimental studies) that examined the relationship between self-compassion and resilience, with no language restrictions. There are no restrictions regarding participants’ age, gender, culture or health status. Qualitative studies, conference abstracts, review articles, case reports, and editorials will be excluded. Two reviewers will independently screen the literature, extract data, and assess the quality of the eligible studies. If possible, the pooled effect size between self-compassion and resilience will be meta-analysed using a random-effect model. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis will be conducted to examine the moderating roles of age, gender, culture, and health status, and other potential moderators.
Results:
The characteristics and main findings of eligible studies will be summarised in tables and narrative descriptions. Results from the meta-analysis, meta-regression, and subgroup analysis will be presented quantitatively. We registered our protocol with PROSPERO, conducted the search, and initiated the screening in April 2024. We expect to start data analysis in October 2024, and finalize the review by March 2025.
Conclusions:
The systematic review and meta-analysis will provide evidence on the protective role of self-compassion in resilience under adversity. Our investigation into potential moderators will highlight the contexts and groups where the benefits of self-compassion can be maximised. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals and stakeholders, informing the development of interventions aimed at enhancing resilience by fostering self-compassion. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO CRD42024534390; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=534390
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