Self-compassion as a Stress Moderator: A Cross-sectional Study of 1700 Doctors, Nurses, and Medical Students

OBJECTIVES: Work stress is common in healthcare and reliably predicts negative outcomes, including burnout and lower quality of life (QOL). However, few studies have investigated factors that might attenuate the impact of stress on these negative outcomes. We investigated whether the tendency to be kind to the self during times of difficulty—self-compassion—might buffer the effect of work stress on outcomes. METHODS: Registered nurses (n = 801), physicians (n = 516), and medical students (n = 383) were recruited using convenience sampling in New Zealand. Following consent, participants (N = 1700) completed a survey including the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form. RESULTS: Across groups, greater work stress consistently predicted greater burnout and lower QOL, while greater self-compassion predicted lower burnout and better QOL. Self-compassion moderated the relationship between stress and burnout in nurses (albeit in the opposite direction to what had been predicted), but not in doctors or medical students. CONCLUSIONS: While self-compassion predicted better outcomes (and may thus represent a target to enhance wellbeing), it strengthened the association between stress and burnout in nurses. How self-compassion impacts the experience of stress and its correlates and why it does so differently in different groups of professionals remains unclear.