Self-compassion and Its Relationship to Life Satisfaction and Stress Coping Strategies in Adults With Blindness: Preliminary Findings

Dorota Chimicz; Anna Kuzaka

doi:10.18290/rped25173.1

Published : 2025-09-26

Vol. 17 No. 3 (2025)

Self-compassion and Its Relationship to Life Satisfaction and Stress Coping Strategies in Adults With Blindness: Preliminary Findings

Dorota Chimicz

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9531-4376

Anna Kuzaka

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8150-8759

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rped25173.1

Abstract

This pilot study aimed to examine the relationship between self-compassion, life satisfaction, and stress-coping strategies in adults with blindness. Higher levels of self-compassion were significantly correlated with adaptive coping strategies, which are associated with greater life satisfaction. In contrast, lower levels of self-compassion are related to the choice of maladaptive coping strategies, such as denial and self-blame, which lead to lower life satisfaction. These findings suggest that increasing self-compassion may be beneficial for promoting psychological resilience and improving life satisfaction in adults with visual impairments.

Keywords:

self-compassion, coping strategies, life satisfaction, blindness

Details

References

Statistics

Authors

Download files

pdf

Altmetric indicators

Cited by / Share

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

References

Act of 27 August 1997 on Social and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities [Ustawa z dnia 27 sierpnia 1997 r. o rehabilitacji zawodowej i społecznej oraz zatrudnienie osób niepełnosprawnych]. Journal of Laws [Dz.U.] of 2016, item 480.

Adigun, K., Oluleye, T. S., Ladipo, M. M., & Olowookere, S. A. (2014). Quality of life in patients with visual impairment in Ibadan: A clinical study in primary care. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 7, 173–178. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S51359

Bekibele, C. O., & Gureje, O. (2008). Impact of self-reported visual impairment on quality of life in the Ibadan study of ageing. The British Journal of Ophthalmology, 92(5), 612–615.

Brach, T. (2003). Radical acceptance: Embracing your life with the heart of a Buddha. New York: Bantam.

Brown, L., Huffman, J. C., & Bryant, C. (2018). Self- compassionate aging: A systematic review. The Gerontologist, 59(4), e311-e324. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny108

Bui, T. H. T., Nguyen, T. N. T., Pham, H. D., Tran, C. T., & Ha, T. H. (2021). The mediating role of self-compassion between proactive coping and perceived stress among students. Science progress, 104(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/00368504211011872

Czechowska-Bieluga, M. (2012). Poczucie jakości życia studentów pracy socjalnej i kierunków ekonomicznych. Analiza porównawcza. Toruń: Wydawnictwo Edukacyjne “Akapit”.

Denscombe, M. (2010). The Good Research Guide: For small social research projects (4th ed.). Berkshire: Open University Press.

Dzwonkowska, I. (2011). Współczucie wobec samego siebie (self-compassion) jako moderator wpływu samooceny globalnej na afektywne funkcjonowanie ludzi. Psychologia Społeczna, 6(1), 67–80.

Dzwonkowska, I. (2013). Współczucie wobec samego siebie a inne wymiary osobowości oraz emocjonalne funkcjonowanie ludzi. Czasopismo Psychologiczne, 19(2), 303–313.

Gilbert, P. (2009). The compassionate mind: A new approach to life challenges. London: Constable and Robinson.

Gupta, A., Jain, N., Gupta, P. & Soni, R. (2024). To study the coping strategies of visually impaired adults. International Journal of Toxicological and Pharmacological Research, 14(1), 235–240.

Juczyński, Z., & Ogińska-Bulik, N. (2012). Narzędzia pomiaru stresu i radzenia sobie ze stresem. Warszawa: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych PTP.

Juczyński, Z. (2001). Narzędzia pomiaru w promocji i psychologii zdrowia. Skala Satysfakcji z Życia. Warszawa: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych PTP.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg016

Khodabakhshi-Koolaee, A., Ghadyani, S., & Malekitabar, A. (2024). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving hope and happiness in men with visual impairment. British Journal of Visual Impairment, [OnlineFirst]. https://doi.org/10.1177/02646196241294212

Knott, M. A. (2020). More than a feeling: The role of self-compassion on the affective response to negative events in the workplace [Doctoral dissertation, Louisiana Tech University]. Louisiana Tech Digital Commons.

Kocur, D., Flakus, M., & Fopka-Kowalczyk, M. (2022). Skala współczucia dla samego siebie (SCS-PL). Przegląd Badań Edukacyjnych, (37), 5–46. https://doi.org/10.12775/PBE.2022.013

Leary, M. R., Tate, E. B., Adams, C. E., Batts Allen, A., & Hancock, J. (2007). Self-compassion and reactions to unpleasant self-relevant events: The implications of treating oneself kindly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(5), 887–904. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.5.887

Lone, A., Sattar Khan, A., & Saeed AlWadani, F. A. (2024). Examining the impact of coping strategies on the quality of life in children with various disabilities. Journal of Disability Research, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.57197/JDR-2024-0052

McNeil, J. (2105). Workplace discrimination and visual impairment: An analysis of EEOC charges and resolutions [Doctoral dissertation, VCU University]. VCU Scholars Compass. Theses and Dissertations. https://doi.org/10.25772/CMJP-R249

Moraes, A. A., Quiroga, C. V., Dacroce, L. R. B., & Argimon, I. I. L. (2021). Exploring self-compassion in older adults: A systematic review. Contextos Clínicos, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.4013/ctc.2021.141.15

Naidoo, P., & Oosthuizen, M. (2023). Self-compassion as a mechanism to facilitate the adjustment of first-year students to university environments. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, (9), 347–366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-023-00129-y

Neff, K. D. (2003a). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032

Neff, K. D. (2003b). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity, 2(3), 223–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309027

Neff, K. D. (2004). Self-compassion and psychological well-being. Constructivism in the Human Sciences, 9(2), 27–37.

Neff, K. D. (2012). The science of self-compassion. In C. Germer & R. Siegel (Eds.), Compassion and Wisdom in Psychotherapy (pp. 79–92). New York: Guilford Press.

Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self-compassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923

Neff, K. D., & Knox, M. C. (2017). Self-Compassion. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.

Neff, K. D., Kirkpatrick, K. L., & Rude, S. S. (2007). Self-compassion and adaptive psychological functioning. Journal of Research in Personality, 41(1), 139–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2006.03.004

Neff, K. D, Hsieh, Y. P., & Dejitterat, K. (2005). Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. Self and Identity, 4(3), 263–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500444000317

Ordinance of the Minister of Economy, Labour and Social Policy of 15 July 2003 on the Assessment of Disability and the Degree of Disability [Rozporządzenie Ministra Gospodarki, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 15 lipca 2003 r. w sprawie orzekania o niepełnosprawności i stopniu niepełnosprawności]. Journal of Laws [Dz.U.] of 2003, No. 139, item 1328.

Reinhardt, J. P., Boerner, K., & Horowitz, A. (2009). Personal and social resources and adaptation to chronic vision impairment over time. Aging & Mental Health, 13(3), 367–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607860902860912

Rogowska, D. (2023). Osoby niewidome oraz ich zatrudnienie w świetle wybranych problemów. Szkoła – Zawód – Praca, (25), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.34767/SZP.2023.01.07

Shepherd, D. A., & Cardon, M. S. (2009). Negative emotional reactions to project failure and the self-compassion to learn from the experience. Journal of Management Studies, 46(6), 923–949. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00821.x

Stevelink, S. A., Malcolm, E. M., & Fear, N. T. (2015). Visual impairment, coping strategies and impact on daily life: a qualitative study among working-age UK ex-service personnel. BMC Public Health, 15, Article 1118. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2455-1

Szabała, B. (2022). Strategie radzenia sobie ze stresem osób słabowidzących – rola przekonań na temat świata i własnej skuteczności. Roczniki Pedagogiczne, 14(3), 41–60. https://doi.org/10.18290/rped22143.3

Tshuma, Ch., Ntombela, N. & van Wijk, H. C. (2022). Challenges and coping strategies of the visually impaired adults: A brief exploratory systematic literature review. Prizren Social Science Journal, 6(2),71–85. https://doi.org/10.32936/pssj.v6i2.301

Verhaeghe, P. P., Van der Bracht, K. & Van de Putte, B. (2016). Discrimination of tenants with a visual impairment on the housing market: Empirical evidence from correspondence tests. Disability and Health Journal, 9(2), 234–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2015.10.002

Vogt, W. P. (1999). Dictionary of statistics and methodology: A non-technical guide for the social sciences (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

Vuletić, G., Šarlija, T., & Benjak, T. (2016). Quality of life in blind and partially sighted people. Journal of Applied Health Sciences, 2(2), 101–112. https://jahs.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/03-Quality-of-life-in-blind.pdf

Wasson, R. S., Barratt, C., & O’Brien, W. H. (2020). Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on self-compassion in health care professionals: A meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 11, 1914–1934. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01342-5

Weryszko, M. (2021). Współczucie wobec samego siebie. Przegląd badań. Kwartalnik Naukowy Fides Et Ratio, 45(1), 6–16. https://doi.org/10.34766/fetr.v45i1.699

World Health Organization. (2018). International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11). Retrieved from https://icd.who.int/en

Zessin, U., Dickhäuser, O., & Garbade, S. (2015). The relationship between self-compassion and well-being: A meta-analysis. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 7(3), 340–364. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12051