Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Winston Seegobin

Second Advisor

Amber Nelson

Third Advisor

Chris Koch

Abstract

Undergraduate student mental health concerns are a growing issue on a global scale. One proposed intervention to support student well-being is to increase student self-compassion. Previous research has found that self-compassion can decrease negative affect and shame, and improve well-being and resilience, which in turn may reduce stress. A lesser area of study concerning self-compassion is what effect, if any, socioeconomic status may have on the development of self-compassion in individuals. To address this gap in the literature, this study collected data from college students on the West Coast and used a correlational design to explore the relationships between self-compassion, shame, psychological well-being, resilience, and socioeconomic status to determine if self-compassion may be a beneficial intervention for undergraduate students. The results of this study support existing research on self-compassion, suggesting that self-compassion contributes to satisfaction with life and resilience, as well as shame and negative affective states. Notably, no significant relationship was found between socioeconomic status and self-compassion. The findings indicate a significant relationship between shame, socioeconomic status, and negative affective states. Implications of this study include possible direct and indirect avenues of intervention to support college student mental health via self-compassion. Future directions and limitations are discussed regarding the development of interventions.

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