Self-compassion, stress and health behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Authors

Jinyi Liu, Mark Conner, Olga Lainidi, Shihui Yu, Daryl B O'Connor

Published in

Health psychology review. Pages 1-18. Aug 25, 2026. Epub Aug 25, 2026.

Abstract

Research shows that self-compassion is associated with lower stress levels and greater engagement in health-promoting behaviours through enabling a positive attitude towards the self in times of difficulty. This meta-analysis reviewed existing literature and examined the relationship between self-compassion and stress, as well as self-compassion and health-risk or health-promoting behaviours in adults. Key terms were searched in PsycINFO, EMBASE MEDLINE, Web of Science and CINAHL databases (10,444 studies identified). Nineteen studies met the eligibility criteria (combined N = 9660). Results indicated a positive association between self-compassion and health-promoting behaviours (r = .23). Negative associations were found between self-compassion and stress (r = -.51) and between self-compassion and health-risk behaviours (r = -.19). Stress was positively associated with health-risk behaviours but negatively associated with health-promoting behaviours (r = .17, r = -.34, respectively). Meta-regressions did not identify significant moderators, such that the relationships between self-compassion and stress and health-promoting behaviours did not vary with age, gender, measure reliabilities and study duration. Mediation analysis revealed that the associations between self-compassion and health-promoting behaviours and self-compassion and health-risk behaviours were partially mediated through stress. These findings demonstrate that self-compassion has both direct and indirect effects on health behaviour via stress, suggesting that cultivating a self-compassionate attitude is important for reducing stress and promoting better health behaviour.

PMID:
42640104
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Aug 2026.

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