ArticleTranslational psychiatry2021
Compassion toward others and self-compassion predict mental and physical well-being: a 5-year longitudinal study of 1090 community-dwelling adults across the lifespan.
Article in Translational psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of and Mechanisms of Change in a Self-Help Web- and App-Based Resilience Intervention on Perceived Stress in the General Working Population: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Impact of an online mindfulness-based program on wellbeing and trait mindfulness for research postgraduate students: a randomized-controlled trial.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- Developing kind emotions in caring environments.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2026Review
- Compassion and Self-Compassion in Relation to Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence.Nursing open · 2026Article
- The role of reduced sense of isolation in group-format PTSD treatment.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Health vulnerability and loneliness among adolescent and young adult populations: a comparison of generations based on a nationwide survey in Japan.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- The relationship between self-compassion and mental health: A repeated measures investigation.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- The efficacy of compassion focused therapy in eating disorders: a systematic review of the literature.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Review
- Compassion focused therapy for older people: Why it is needed and adaptations for clinical practice.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Review
- The relationship of religiosity, spirituality and health in Spanish cancer patients: testing underlying psychological, social and behavioral pathways.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- The efficacy of an inquiry-based stress reduction program on self-compassion and compassion for others in undergraduate nursing students.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Deconstructive meditations and psychotherapy: Transforming the perception of the self.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Association between adverse childhood experiences and masculinity with well-being: moderating role of behavioural emotional regulation among men of three nations.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Self-Compassion and Smartphone Addiction Tendency Among College Students: The Chain-Mediating Effect of Self-Concept Clarity and Experiential Avoidance.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Addressing social determinants of health in individuals with mental disorders in clinical practice: review and recommendations.Translational psychiatry · 2025Review
- Dynamic duo is inseparable: Self-compassion and compassion for others interact to predict well-being.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2025Article
- Longitudinal Relations among Self-Compassion, Self-Esteem, and Depressive Symptoms in College Students: Disentangling the Within-Person Process from Stable Between-Person Differences.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2025Article
- The Relationship Between Intolerance of Uncertainty and Treatment Adherence: The Moderating Effect of Self-Compassion on the Chain Mediation Model.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
There is growing interest in the role of compassion in promoting health and well-being, with cross-sectional data showing an inverse correlation with loneliness. This is the first longitudinal study examining both compassion toward others (CTO) and compassion toward self (CTS) as predictors of mental and physical health outcomes including loneliness, across adult lifespan. We followed 552 women and 538 men in San Diego County for up to 7.5 (mean 4.8 and SD 2.2) years, using validated rating scales for CTO, CTS, and loneliness. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to examine age- and sex-related trajectories of CTO and CTS over time. Linear regression models were used to evaluate baseline and longitudinal relationships of CTO and CTS with mental well-being, physical well-being, and loneliness. CTS and CTO were weakly intercorrelated. Women had higher baseline CTO than men. While CTO was stable over time and across the lifespan, CTS scores had an inverse U-shaped relationship with age, peaking around age 77. There were significant baseline × slope interactions of both CTO and CTS predicting improvements in physical well-being in adults <60 years old. Increases in CTO and CTS predicted improvements in mental well-being. Higher baseline CTO and CTS as well as increases in CTO and CTS scores predicted lower loneliness scores at follow-up. Thus, CTO and CTS were associated with better mental well-being and loneliness across the adult lifespan, and physical well-being in younger adults, and are promising targets for interventions to improve health outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.