Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students.
In Malaysia, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health concerns have surged, with a Ministry of Health report predicting that mental illness will affect one-third of the population. Prior studies indicate a substantial range of depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students, rangi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Human Resources Management Academic Research Society (HRMARS)
2024
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/1/116441.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848867005696835584 |
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| author | Xin, Leo Jia Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki |
| author_facet | Xin, Leo Jia Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki |
| author_sort | Xin, Leo Jia |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | In Malaysia, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health concerns have surged, with a Ministry of Health report predicting that mental illness will affect one-third of the population. Prior studies indicate a substantial range of depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students, ranging from 30% to 64.2%. Moreover, more than 75% of individuals with mental illnesses remain untreated, highlighting a critical research gap and the urgency for tailored interventions, especially given the rising number of suicide ideation and attempts among Malaysian youth. Despite the acknowledged significance of self-critical perfectionism and self-compassion in determining depressive symptoms, prior research has predominantly focused on Western populations, necessitating a culturally nuanced investigation. Thus, this study aims to address this gap by exploring the relationship between self-compassion, self-critical perfectionism, and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. A descriptive and correlational research design, employing a convenience sampling method, was utilized for data collection involving 518 Malaysian university students aged 18 to 29. A structured self-administered questionnaire, comprising the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003b), Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (Slaney et al., 2001), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Kroenke et al., 2001), was employed. Analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) revealed a substantial prevalence of depressive symptoms (64.5%) at a moderately average level, emphasizing the need for urgent intervention. The majority exhibited self-critical perfectionism (81.7%), while self-compassion was at a moderate level (71.2%). Significant negative relationships were found between self-compassion and selfcritical perfectionism with depressive symptoms, contrasting with a significant positive relationship between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms. The study further established that both self-compassion and self-critical perfectionism significantly predict depressive symptoms. In addition, noteworthy mean differences between undergraduates and postgraduates emerged in depressive symptoms through t-test analysis. Therefore, the program of study was controlled while conducting the mediation analysis of self-compassion between the variables. In conclusion, this study contributes significantly to the understanding of a model suggesting the partial mediating role of self-compassion between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among university students. These findings advocate for targeted interventions and a supportive environment for students' psychological wellbeing. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:29:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-116441 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:29:37Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Human Resources Management Academic Research Society (HRMARS) |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1164412025-04-08T06:47:33Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/ Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. Xin, Leo Jia Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki In Malaysia, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health concerns have surged, with a Ministry of Health report predicting that mental illness will affect one-third of the population. Prior studies indicate a substantial range of depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students, ranging from 30% to 64.2%. Moreover, more than 75% of individuals with mental illnesses remain untreated, highlighting a critical research gap and the urgency for tailored interventions, especially given the rising number of suicide ideation and attempts among Malaysian youth. Despite the acknowledged significance of self-critical perfectionism and self-compassion in determining depressive symptoms, prior research has predominantly focused on Western populations, necessitating a culturally nuanced investigation. Thus, this study aims to address this gap by exploring the relationship between self-compassion, self-critical perfectionism, and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. A descriptive and correlational research design, employing a convenience sampling method, was utilized for data collection involving 518 Malaysian university students aged 18 to 29. A structured self-administered questionnaire, comprising the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003b), Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (Slaney et al., 2001), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Kroenke et al., 2001), was employed. Analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) revealed a substantial prevalence of depressive symptoms (64.5%) at a moderately average level, emphasizing the need for urgent intervention. The majority exhibited self-critical perfectionism (81.7%), while self-compassion was at a moderate level (71.2%). Significant negative relationships were found between self-compassion and selfcritical perfectionism with depressive symptoms, contrasting with a significant positive relationship between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms. The study further established that both self-compassion and self-critical perfectionism significantly predict depressive symptoms. In addition, noteworthy mean differences between undergraduates and postgraduates emerged in depressive symptoms through t-test analysis. Therefore, the program of study was controlled while conducting the mediation analysis of self-compassion between the variables. In conclusion, this study contributes significantly to the understanding of a model suggesting the partial mediating role of self-compassion between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among university students. These findings advocate for targeted interventions and a supportive environment for students' psychological wellbeing. Human Resources Management Academic Research Society (HRMARS) 2024 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/1/116441.pdf Xin, Leo Jia and Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki (2024) Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14 (10). pp. 1-27. ISSN 2222-6990 https://hrmars.com/index.php/IJARBSS/article/view/23190/Self-Compassion-as-Mediator-between-Self-Critical-Perfectionism-and-Depressive-Symptoms-among-Malaysian-University-Students 10.6007/ijarbss/v14-i10/23190 |
| spellingShingle | Xin, Leo Jia Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. |
| title | Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. |
| title_full | Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. |
| title_fullStr | Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. |
| title_short | Self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among Malaysian university students. |
| title_sort | self-compassion as mediator between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms among malaysian university students. |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/116441/1/116441.pdf |