“Self-compassion and life satisfaction in Vietnamese adolescents: the mediating role of emotional and behavioral problems”
| Date | 04 December 2023 |
| Pages | 910-923 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-07-2023-0076 |
| Published date | 04 December 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Social inclusion |
| Author | Vinh Tuan Nguyen,Cat Tuong Phuoc Nguyen |
“Self-compassion and life satisfaction
in Vietnamese adolescents: the
mediating role of emotional
and behavioral problems”
Vinh Tuan Nguyen and Cat Tuong Phuoc Nguyen
Abstract
Purpose –The current study aims to examine the relationship between self-compassion and life
satisfaction in Vietnamese adolescents and investigate the possibility that emotional and behavioural
problemsmediate this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach –Quantitative means of data collection and analysis were used to
investigatethe relationship between self-compassion and lifesatisfaction and the underlying mechanism
of this relationship. A set of questionnaires was presented to a sample of 828 adolescents (M age ¼
14.61; SD ¼1.08)aged 14–17 years from two secondaryschools and two high schools in Thua ThienHue
Province, Vietnam. This helped to determine their self-compassion (self-compassion scale), emotional
and behavioural problems (strengths and difficulties questionnaire)and life satisfaction (life satisfaction
scale).Instruments reflected satisfactoryreliability and validity.
Findings –The results showthat self-warmth was positively associatedwith life satisfaction and that self-
coldness was positivelyassociated with emotional and behaviouralproblems and negatively associated
with life satisfactionin Vietnamese adolescents. Emotional and behaviouralproblems fully mediated the
negativerelationship between self-coldnessand life satisfaction.
Practical implications –It is implied that interventionprogrammes should be tailored to both promote
self-compassionatebehaviours and reduceself-coldness, to increase lifesatisfaction in adolescents.
Originality/value –The research available on the relationship between self-compassion and life
satisfaction in adolescents, especially adolescents from Southeast Asia, is very sparse. More
significantly,the underlying mechanisms behindthis relationship are not yet fully understood.
Keywords Self-compassion, Life satisfaction, Emotional/behaviouralproblems, Vietnamese,
Adolescents
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
“Life satisfaction is the degree to which a person positively evaluates the overall quality of
his/her life as a whole. In other words, how much the person likes the life he/she leads”
(Veenhoven, 1996; p.13).
Life satisfaction is very beneficial for the lives of children and teenagers because it plays
such an important role in enhancing positive social relationships and academic success
and reducing the negative effects of stress and psychological problems and disorders
(Marquez et al.,2022;Piko, 2023;Ripoll-Nunez et al.,2020;Tiwari and Saroj, 2021).
Most studies find that children and adolescents’ life satisfaction is in the positiverange (e.g.
Kelishadi, 2016;Kuntsche and Gmel, 2004;Nickerson and Nagle, 2004). However, it is
Vinh Tuan Nguyen is based
at the Department of
Preschool Education,
University of Education,
Hue University, Hue City,
Vietnam. Cat Tuong Phuoc
Nguyen is based at the
Department of Psychology
and Education, University
of Education, Hue
University, Hue City,
Vietnam.
The authors would like to thank
all adolescent students who
took part in the study and
enabled this research to be
possible.
PAGE 910 jMENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION jVOL. 28 NO. 5 2024, pp. 910-923, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308 DOI 10.1108/MHSI-07-2023-0076
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