Self-compassion and health-promoting lifestyle behaviors in college students

Lifestyle choices play a major role in health outcomes. Hence, examination of factors associated with a healthy lifestyle is important for health promotion. Self-compassion is related to health behaviors but research on the role of self-compassion facets (self-kindness vs. self-judgment, common humanity vs. isolation, mindfulness vs. over-identification) on health behaviors is scarce. A total of 423 Turkish undergraduates completed Self-Compassion Scale and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Health behaviors positively correlated with self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, and total self-compassion but not with self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that mindfulness, self-kindness, and self-judgment were significant predictors of health behaviors. Results may guide clinicians about which components to focus on in self-compassion interventions designed for health promotion.