How Self-Compassion Components Develop in Adolescents? Evidence from Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis with Gender Considerations

Self-compassion refers to a positive and friendly self-attitude when facing setbacks. A growing body of published work provides evidence that self-compassion contributes to adolescents’ psychological well-being robustly. However, due to divergence of self-compassion’s structure, there has been little discussion about the how self-compassion develops and about the way to improve adolescents’ self-compassion. This study examined whether and how self-compassion components would associate with each other longitudinally during adolescence, which may provide insights for improving adolescents’ self-compassion accordingly. Using a two-wave longitudinal design, a relatively large sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 603; M_age = 15.33, SD_age = 0.53) was measured annually at two-time points. We utilized the cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) model to investigate the structure of self-compassion, namely, the underlying relationships among each self-compassion component inside. The CLPN model suggested that self-compassion is an interactive and synergistic system. In addition, the results emphasized the difference between males and females, suggesting that developing self-kindness may elevate adolescent males’ self-compassion, while for adolescent females, nourishing mindfulness and self-kindness simultaneously may be better for their self-compassion. Also, common humanity should pay more attention to boys and girls due to its positive association with uncompassionate components. This study enriches the understanding of the construct of self-compassion. Also, the current study refers to the variance between male and female adolescents in self-compassion and underlines the importance of self-kindness for males and mindfulness for females.