Mediating Effects of Self-Criticism Moderated by Compassion on the Relationship Between Job Burnout and Depression

Abstract

Job burnout reduces overall life satisfaction, and self-criticism has been identified as a vulnerability factor for individuals prone to depression. On the other hand, compassion is an active research topic in psychology as a positive factor for mental health. This study focused on the role of self-criticism and compassion in the process by which job burnout affects depression. This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of self-criticism and the moderating effects of compassion on the relationship between job burnout and depression. For this purpose, 400 working adults were recruited through a specialized survey company. Participants completed self-report questionnaires online that measured job burnout, depression, self-criticism, and compassion. The information on 397 subjects was gathered through the response validation process. The data was analysed for descriptive statistics and correlations between the variables using the SPSS statistical package. The mediating and moderating effects were analysed by applying a Process Macro model. The results showed that selfcriticism partially mediated the relationship between job burnout and depression and that compassion moderated the pathway from self-criticism to depression. Further analyses by levels of compassion showed that the moderating effect of compassion on self-criticism was not significant in the highcompassion group, suggesting that increasing self-criticism did not increase depression. The implication is that compassion, if sufficiently cultivated, may be a therapeutic factor that negates the facilitating effect of self-criticism on the relationship between job burnout and depression. But the limitations of this study require cautious interpretation of the generalisability of these results.