Self-compassion and depression, anxiety, and resilience in adults with epilepsy

Research suggests that people with epilepsy (PWE) are more likely to experience depression and anxiety than the general population. Given the adversity associated with the condition, resilience may also be important. However, to date, resilience has been largely overlooked in the epilepsy literature. Self-compassion has been widely associated with improved psychological wellbeing and, to a lesser extent, resilience. However, the relationship between self-compassion and depression, anxiety, and resilience in PWE has not been examined.

Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, the aim of the present study was to examine the extent to which self-compassion predicted depression, anxiety, and resilience when controlling for demographic and illness-related variables.

Adults with epilepsy were invited to take part in a survey online or in epilepsy or neurology clinics. Two-hundred and seventy participants completed the survey, and data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression models.

In this sample of PWE, self-compassion significantly predicted lower depression and anxiety and higher resilience when other significant sociodemographic and illness-related variables had been taken into account.

The findings of the present study indicate that self-compassion could be an important factor in determining psychological outcomes for adults with epilepsy, and its role is worthy of further exploration to help improve psychological outcomes for PWE.