Self-compassion is increasingly recognized as a beneficial psychological resource supporting well-being and coping with difficulties, including those of an existential nature. Although a growing body of research has examined this construct, relatively few studies have focused on older adults. The aim of the present study was to identify profiles of self-compassion in a sample of older individuals and to examine their associations with mental health and well-being.
The study included older adults (N = 392; Mage = 69.64; SDage = 6.63). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted based on six components of self-compassion: self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and over-identification. The identified profiles were then compared in terms of anxiety, depression, mental well-being, and self-rated health.
The results revealed three distinct profiles: low self-compassion, self-critical, and high self-compassion. The self-critical profile was associated with the highest levels of anxiety and depression and the lowest level of well-being, whereas the high self-compassion profile was characterized by the highest well-being. Individuals with low and high self-compassion reported better self-rated health than those in the self-critical profile.
These findings suggest that not only the level but also the structure of self-compassion is important for psychological functioning in late adulthood. Within the framework of the psychology of spirituality, self-compassion may be understood as a resource that supports coping with existential experiences; however, its adaptive role depends on the configuration of its components.