Psychology doctoral students’ self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Relationships among satisfaction with life, stress levels, and self-compassion.

Abstract

Psychology doctoral students face high demands with academics and clinical work, while balancing these responsibilities with relationships, finances, and health concerns (Myers et al., 2012). Research suggests psychology doctoral students struggle to implement self-care, which may relate to lower satisfaction with life and higher perceived stress levels (Colman et al., 2016;Rupert & Dorociak, 2019). The literature suggests that self-compassion may have an important role in the relationship between self-care, satisfaction with life, and levels of stress (Beaumont et al., 2017;Boellinghaus et al., 2013). Psychologists-in-training experienced heightened anxiety and are at greater risk for burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic (Norcross & Phillips, 2020). The present study administered an online survey to psychology doctoral students enrolled in APA-accredited doctoral programs in the Northeastern United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess frequency of engagement in self-care practices, self-compassion, satisfaction with life, and perceived stress levels. We hypothesized that the frequency of engagement in self-care practices would predict satisfaction with life and perceived stress levels, and self-compassion would moderate the relationship between frequency of self-care and satisfaction with life, as well as frequency of self-care and perceived stress levels. Results demonstrated that the greater frequency of self-care practice predicted higher satisfaction with life and lower perceived stress levels. Self-compassion did not moderate the relationship between frequency of self-care and satisfaction with life and frequency of self-care and perceived stress levels. The findings suggest a need to integrate self-care interventions and education within graduate training in psychology. Public Significance StatementThis study highlights how engaging in self-care practices can impact psychology doctoral students' quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results identify a need for self-care to be modeled and prioritized in psychology graduate training programs.

The Role of Self-Compassion and Attributions in the Mental Health of Older Adolescents amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Others [84] found the mediating effect of self-compassion on the rela-tionship between religion/spirituality and well-being, as well as religion/spirituality and depression/anxiety symptoms. Research [34] conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic offers a different angle, where self-compassion did not moderate the relationship between the frequency of self-care and satisfaction with life or between the frequency of self-care and perceived stress levels, suggesting a need for a more complex model incorporating situational determinants.…”

“…Self-compassion is linked to self-care practices, such as seeking professional help when in need, proactivity, or having a healthy lifestyle [33]. The literature suggests that the absence of self-care can lead to higher perceived stress levels [34], and those with a lower mental health status are found to be less likely to engage in self-care activities [35]. This absence of self-care mediated the relationship between the perceived COVID-19 threat and the fear of dying during the pandemic [36].…”

Transitioning to telehealth during COVID-19: Challenges and opportunities for trauma-focused school psychology.

“…Individuals dealt with these stressors differently, not only from one another but also over time. Given that trainees' needs were dependent on the changing context and were therefore inherently unpredictable and idiosyncratic, I adopted a program-wide stance that emphasized self-care and self-compassion, increased predictability, and decreased stress, all while maintaining our high standard of training (Geary et al, 2023). For example, our monthly group meeting remained a requirement for trainees and used the same agenda each month, but expectations around student presentations were relaxed to decrease anxiety and invite innovative thinking.…”

“…The pandemic was not a short-term problem, and working hard had to be balanced, when possible, by finding ways to rest, recharge, and disconnect from work (Coons, 2020). Modeling this for trainees and-even better, integrating it into the curriculum-has been shown to have protective effects against trainee burnout as well (Geary et al, 2023).…”