DOI:10.6129/CJP.201903_61(1).0003
中華心理學刊 民108，61 卷，1 期，51-72
Chinese Journal of Psychology 2019, Vol.61, No.1, 51-72

Yu-Jie Chen（Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan）；Sue-Huei Chen（Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan）

Abstract

The concept of self-compassion, an empathetic and nurturing attitude toward one’s own sufferings and failures, has begun to gain research and clinical attention due to its strong link to psychological health. Nevertheless, in Taiwanese samples, systematic examination of the factorial and construct validity of the Taiwanese version of the Self-Compassion Scale is still warranted. In this study, 854 adults (age range: 20-64 years) were recruited to investigate the levels of self-compassion and the differential associations between self-compassion and psychological health. The results revealed that: 1) via EFA and CFA procedures, the Taiwanese version of the Self-Compassion Scale yields two composites: the incremental composite which was constituted by self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity, and the decremental composite which was constituted by self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification of negative experiences; and 2) with hierarchical regression analyses, after controlling for age and gender, the decremental composite was predictive of anxiety and stress, while the two composites were jointly predictive of depression and psychological well-being. Distinct levels of self-compassion were found across multigenerational samples. The younger
groups displayed less self-compassion, especially with a manifestation of greater levels in the decremental composite of the Self-Compassion Scale. We discuss our findings of the age differences in self-compassion and their implications for psychological health.

Keywords: psychological distress, psychological well-being, self-compassion