Examining self-compassion in romantic relationships

Self-compassion has recently emerged as a component of psychological health. Research on self-compassion processes shows that self-compassion is related to lower levels of psychological distress and higher levels of positive affect. The current study examined the extent to which self-compassion is related to the quality of romantic relationships. Undergraduates (n = 261) completed online self-report questionnaires assessing self-compassion and relationship quality. Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted in order to assess the relation between self-compassion and relationship quality. Results indicated that self-compassion was moderately positively correlated with relationship quality, and that self-compassion was a unique, if weak, predictor of relationship quality. Implications of these findings for romantic relationships are discussed.