به خودتان سخت گیری نکنید! تغییراتی در خود دلسوزی مرتبط با تغییرات سلامتی در سال اول دانشگاه Don’t be so hard on yourself! Changes in self-compassion during the first year of university are associated with changes in well-being

1. Introduction The first year of university study is often accompanied by marked changes in responsibility, identity, lifestyle, social milieus, and sometimes living arrangements (Gall, Evans, & Bellerose, 2000; Terry, Leary, & Mehta, 2013). Coinciding with these changes, first year university students often experience a rapid decline in psychological and social wellbeing as well a rapid increase in psychological distress and cognitive-affective vulnerabilities (Conley, Kirsch, Dickson, & Bryant, 2014). Although these negative setbacks in psychological health tend to plateau over time, they do not return to baseline levels over the course of the first year of university (Conley et al., 2014). Consequently, there is a clear need for research that helps to identify key mechanisms that can be used to mitigate declines in well-being during the first year of postsecondary study. Self-compassion is one approach with potential to assist students in managing the challenges that often accompany the first year of university (Fong & Loi, 2016; Hope, Koestner, & Milyavskaya, 2014; Terry et al., 2013). Self-compassion is relevant during times of suffering or setbacks and involves offering support and understanding to the self (Neff, 2003a). It is comprised of three components: (1) self-kindness, which represents the ability to be caring and kind to ourselves rather than excessively critical, (2) common humanity, which represents an understanding that everyone makes mistakes and fails and our experience is part of a larger common experience, and (3) mindfulness, which represents being present and aware while keeping thoughts in balance rather than overidentifying (Neff, 2003a, 2003b). Researchers have demonstrated the favourable effects of first year university students having higher self-compassion. For example, when controlling for baseline levels of self-compassion, first year undergraduate students who had higher self-compassion experienced less homesickness and depression at the end of the first semester (Terry et al., 2013). Others have shown that across the first year of university, students with higher self-compassion had favourable changes in life satisfaction, identity development, and negative affect (Hope et al., 2014). To date, however, researchers have yet to examine mediators that might be transmitting the positive effects of self-compassion to well-being. One theory that can be used to understand the relationship between self-compassion and well-being is self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000). In SDT, Deci and Ryan contend that all humans have innate psychological needs that when fulfilled contribute to greater wellbeing. The three psychological needs are competence (i.e., the perception that one can complete personally challenging tasks), autonomy (i.e., the perception that one is in control of his/her behaviours and acting volitionally) and relatedness (i.e., the perception that one connects and belongs with important others; Deci & Ryan, 2000). Investigators have supported Deci and Ryan’s (2011) assertions that psychological need satisfaction (PNS) serves as one mechanism linking self-related constructs to well-being outcomes (see Sheldon, Cheng, & Hilpert, 2011).