A Meta-Analysis of the Relation Between Self-Compassion and Self-Efficacy

Objectives Self-compassion may play a role in protecting one’s self-efficacy in the face of failures. While research suggests a positive association between self-compassion and self-efficacy, the current study represents the first meta-analytic analysis of this association. Potential moderators including age, publication type, and sample type were also explored. Methods Random-effects models were used to estimate the average effect size (ES) for the associations between self-compassion total score and self-efficacy and between self-compassion subscales and self-efficacy across 60 studies providing a total of 109 effect sizes. Results Results showed a positive association between self-compassion total score and self-efficacy ( r = .35), positive associations between self-compassion positive subscales and self-efficacy, and negative associations between self-compassion negative subscales and self-efficacy. Results also revealed that the associations between self-compassion subscales and self-efficacy were larger in non-students than in students, and in published studies versus unpublished studies. Conclusions Clinical interventions that cultivate self-compassion may be conducive to one’s sense of self-efficacy.