Benefit-finding and self-compassion promote psychological well-being in caregivers of individuals with mental illness: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Resilience factors that promote psychological well-being amongst caregivers of individuals with a mental illness are understudied. Coping strategies (problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping and benefit-finding) have been found to influence the relation between stress and psychological outcomes, but their relative contribution to psychological well-being has not been tested. Self-compassion reduces caregiver burden in caregivers, yet no research has examined its contribution to psychological well-being nor the mechanisms via which it could do so. The aim of this study was to examine benefit-finding and self-compassion as resilience factors that could promote psychological well-being amongst caregivers of individuals with mental illnesses. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 to October 2019 in Singapore. 107 informal caregivers of individuals with various diagnosed mental illnesses completed an online questionnaire. COPE, General Benefit Finding Scale (GBFS), Self-Compassion Scale -Short (SCS-SF), Psychological Well-Being Scale -Brief (PWBS-B), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used. Hierarchical multiple regression and mediation analyses were conducted. Results Benefit-finding was a more important predictor of psychological well-being compared to problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Self-compassion was positively associated with psychological well-being amongst caregivers, and this is partially due to an increased use of problem-focused coping strategies. Conclusions Future interventions should cultivate caregivers’ benefit-finding and self-compassion and consider using psychological well-being as an additional outcome measure.