Do gratitude and self-compassion moderate the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and mental health in emerging adult college women?

Objectives

Emerging adult college women are particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges, highlighting the need to identify protective factors. This study examined whether gratitude and self-compassion moderate the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and mental health outcomes (anxiety symptoms, rumination, well-being).

Participants

444 emerging adult college women (M = 19.51 years, SD = 1.13) from a U.S. university.

Methods

Participants completed an online survey in 2024 using measures of perfectionism, gratitude, self-compassion, anxiety, rumination, and well-being.

Results

Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis, controlling for perfectionistic striving, revealed that self-compassion moderated the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and both anxiety symptoms and rumination. Specifically, self-compassion buffered anxiety symptoms when perfectionistic concerns were high, whereas its association with lower rumination was evident primarily at lower levels of perfectionistic concerns.

Conclusions

These findings underscore self-compassion as a valuable resource for supporting mental health in college women. Universities should consider offering self-compassion-based resources and interventions.