Background This study aims to investigate the effect of self-compassion on four mental health indicators at baseline: mental health problem duration, recurrence, psychological comorbidity and physical comorbidity and secondly, to see if there are age-group differences in these associations. Self-compassion has previously been reported to positively impact mental health outcomes, however, no research to date has tested these associations in a clinical population in different age groups. The aim of this study is therefore to ascertain the link between self-compassion and mental health indicators and whether these differ between working age and older adults (65+ years).

Methods This study is part of an ongoing study aiming to identify the predictors of psychological treatment outcomes in IAPT service users (https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN10670435). The current sample consists of N=727 adults awaiting the start of psychological treatment for common mental health disorders in a participating IAPT service in England. Participants completed the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales and other questions relating to mental health duration, recurrence and comorbidities in a questionnaire administered via Qualtrics. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between self-compassion and these mental health indicators.

Results In the total sample, levels of self-compassion were significantly higher for older adults compared to working-age adults, t(102.9)= -3.77, p < .001. Self-compassion and age were not significantly associated with mental health problem duration, recurrence or the presence of psychological comorbidity. However, there was a significant association of self-compassion and physical comorbidity for older adults only, suggesting that older adults with lower levels of self-compassion were significantly more likely to have physical comorbidities (OR = 0.94, p = .011, 95% CI [0.89, 0.98].

Conclusion Lower levels of self-compassion are significantly associated with having physical comorbidities in a clinical population. Considering previous research indicating the positive effect of self-compassion on mental wellbeing, the results of this study suggest that self-compassion may be an important factor to address in a clinical population awaiting treatment. Future analyses will investigate the role of these factors as predictors of psychological treatment outcomes.