Self-compassion promotes positive mental health in women with anorexia nervosa: A two-week daily diary study

ABSTRACT

Despite the importance of positive mental health, little is known about its facilitators in people with eating disorders (EDs). Drawing on past research, we hypothesized that self-compassion might be a contributing factor to positive mental health in individuals with EDs. In a two-week daily diary study of women (N = 32) with anorexia nervosa, we investigated whether self-compassion levels—on average, on a given day, and from one day to the next—predicted social safeness (i.e. a sense of social connection and warmth) and positive affect, both indicators of positive mental health. Multilevel modeling revealed that, controlling for ED symptoms, (1) higher daily self-compassion, (2) increases in self-compassion from the previous day, and (3) higher trait self-compassion, were associated with greater positive affect and social safeness. Findings suggest that in addition to reducing ED symptoms in people with EDs, as documented by prior research, the cultivation of self-compassion might facilitate improved emotional and social well-being in this population.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Giselle Kraus, Elizabeth Stephen, and Sarina Trac for their help with this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the results in this manuscript are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation under a New Investigator Grant to Allison Kelly.