IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jhappi/v24y2023i2d10.1007_s10902-022-00602-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Self-Compassion as a Means to Improve Job-Related Well-Being in Academia

Author

Listed:
  • Aljoscha Dreisoerner

    (Goethe University
    University of Vienna)

  • Anamarija Klaic

    (University of Zurich)

  • Rolf Dick

    (Goethe University)

  • Nina M. Junker

    (Goethe University
    University of Oslo)

Abstract

Working in academia entails many challenges including rejections by journals, competition for funding or jobs, and uncertain job outlooks (for non-tenure staff), which can result in poor mental health and well-being. Previous studies have suggested self-compassion as a resource for mental health and well-being, but to date no study has been published that has tested interventions targeting self-compassion in academia. In this weekly diary study, 317 academics from Germany, Switzerland, and the US were asked to recall a negative event and were then randomly assigned to either a self-compassionate writing intervention, a three good things intervention, or an active control intervention, respectively. They also completed two surveys on four consecutive Thursdays measuring state positive and negative affect and job-related well-being (i.e., job satisfaction and work engagement). Using multi-level regression modelling, results showed that participants in the self-compassion condition reported more job satisfaction and work engagement due to experiencing less negative affect. Academics in the three good things condition showed no such effects. Results indicated that self-compassion in academia is a resource that enables emotion-oriented coping during difficult times or in challenging situations that may benefit academics’ job-related well-being. The study highlights both the importance of discussing well-being in academia and ways to strengthen it.

Suggested Citation

  • Aljoscha Dreisoerner & Anamarija Klaic & Rolf Dick & Nina M. Junker, 2023. "Self-Compassion as a Means to Improve Job-Related Well-Being in Academia," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 409-428, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:24:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s10902-022-00602-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-022-00602-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10902-022-00602-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10902-022-00602-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Levecque, Katia & Anseel, Frederik & De Beuckelaer, Alain & Van der Heyden, Johan & Gisle, Lydia, 2017. "Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 868-879.
    2. Aljoscha Dreisoerner & Nina Mareen Junker & Rolf Dick, 2021. "The Relationship Among the Components of Self-compassion: A Pilot Study Using a Compassionate Writing Intervention to Enhance Self-kindness, Common Humanity, and Mindfulness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 21-47, January.
    3. Fabian Gander & René Proyer & Willibald Ruch & Tobias Wyss, 2013. "Strength-Based Positive Interventions: Further Evidence for Their Potential in Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depression," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1241-1259, August.
    4. Chris Woolston, 2019. "PhDs: the tortuous truth," Nature, Nature, vol. 575(7782), pages 403-406, November.
    5. Maas, Cora J. M. & Hox, J.J.Joop J., 2004. "The influence of violations of assumptions on multilevel parameter estimates and their standard errors," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 427-440, June.
    6. Rosseel, Yves, 2012. "lavaan: An R Package for Structural Equation Modeling," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 48(i02).
    7. Xinshu Zhao & John G. Lynch & Qimei Chen, 2010. "Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(2), pages 197-206, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anna Muro & Iván Bonilla & Claudia Tejada-Gallardo & María Paola Jiménez-Villamizar & Ramon Cladellas & Antoni Sanz & Miquel Torregrossa, 2022. "The Third Half: A Pilot Study Using Evidence-Based Psychological Strategies to Promote Well-Being among Doctoral Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Chiara Corvino & Amalia De Leo & Miriam Parise & Giulia Buscicchio, 2022. "Organizational Well-Being of Italian Doctoral Students: Is Academia Sustainable When It Comes to Gender Equality?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, May.
    3. Angel M. Dzhambov & Peter Lercher & Drozdstoy Stoyanov & Nadezhda Petrova & Stoyan Novakov & Donka D. Dimitrova, 2021. "University Students’ Self-Rated Health in Relation to Perceived Acoustic Environment during the COVID-19 Home Quarantine," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Natalia Lipp & Radosław Sterna & Natalia Dużmańska-Misiarczyk & Agnieszka Strojny & Sandra Poeschl-Guenther & Paweł Strojny, 2021. "VR Realism Scale—Revalidation of contemporary VR headsets on a Polish sample," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-27, December.
    5. Ascensión Fumero & Rosario J. Marrero & Alicia Pérez-Albéniz & Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero, 2021. "Adolescents’ Bipolar Experiences and Suicide Risk: Well-being and Mental Health Difficulties as Mediators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-16, March.
    6. Xiangyu Zhai & Na Wu & Sakura Koriyama & Can Wang & Mengyao Shi & Tao Huang & Kun Wang & Susumu S. Sawada & Xiang Fan, 2021. "Mediating Effect of Perceived Stress on the Association between Physical Activity and Sleep Quality among Chinese College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-11, January.
    7. Cloarec, Julien, 2022. "Privacy controls as an information source to reduce data poisoning in artificial intelligence-powered personalization," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 144-153.
    8. Sabrina Bonanati & Charlott Rubach, 2022. "Reciprocal Relationship between Parents’ School- and Home-Based Involvement and Children’s Reading Achievement during the First Year of Elementary School," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, April.
    9. Sara Staszak & Julia Maciejowska & Wiktoria Urjasz & Tomasz Misiuro & Andrzej Cudo, 2022. "The Relationship between the Need for Closure and Coronavirus Fear: The Mediating Effect of Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories about COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-18, November.
    10. Md. Mominur Rahman & Bilkis Akhter, 2021. "The impact of investment in human capital on bank performance: evidence from Bangladesh," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-13, December.
    11. César Merino-Soto & Gina Chávez-Ventura & Verónica López-Fernández & Guillermo M. Chans & Filiberto Toledano-Toledano, 2022. "Learning Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-L): Psychometric and Measurement Invariance Evidence in Peruvian Undergraduate Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    12. FeCheng Ma & Farhan Khan & Kashif Ullah Khan & Si XiangYun, 2021. "Investigating the Impact of Information Technology, Absorptive Capacity, and Dynamic Capabilities on Firm Performance: An Empirical Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, November.
    13. Nosheena Yasir & Nasir Mahmood & Hafiz Shakir Mehmood & Osama Rashid & An Liren, 2021. "The Integrated Role of Personal Values and Theory of Planned Behavior to Form a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    14. Mia M. Vainio & Daiva Daukantaitė, 2016. "Grit and Different Aspects of Well-Being: Direct and Indirect Relationships via Sense of Coherence and Authenticity," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 2119-2147, October.
    15. Yu Ding & Wayne S. DeSarbo & Dominique M. Hanssens & Kamel Jedidi & John G. Lynch & Donald R. Lehmann, 2020. "The past, present, and future of measurement and methods in marketing analysis," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 175-186, September.
    16. Nathaniel Oliver Iotti & Damiano Menin & Tomas Jungert, 2022. "Early Adolescents’ Motivations to Defend Victims of Cyberbullying," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-9, July.
    17. Lefroy, Kathryn & Tsarenko, Yelena, 2014. "Dependence and effectiveness in the nonprofit-corporate alliance: The mediating effect of objectives achievement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(9), pages 1959-1966.
    18. Thuy-Van Tran & Sinikka Lepistö & Janne Järvinen, 2021. "The relationship between subjectivity in managerial performance evaluation and the three dimensions of justice perception," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 369-399, September.
    19. Anxin Xu & Chenwen Wei & Manhua Zheng & Lili Sun & Decong Tang, 2022. "Influence of Perceived Value on Repurchase Intention of Green Agricultural Products: From the Perspective of Multi-Group Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-17, November.
    20. Christoph Dworschak, 2024. "Bias mitigation in empirical peace and conflict studies: A short primer on posttreatment variables," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 61(3), pages 462-476, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:24:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s10902-022-00602-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.