The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support in the Relationship between Self-Compassion and Holistic Well-Being among Parents of Children with Hearing Impairment

Abstract

Parents of children with hearing impairment often experience continuous care giving demands, communication challenges, financial strain, and uncertainty about their child’s development. Psychological resources, such as self-compassion, can assist parental well-being by, in part, reinforcing perceptions of available social support. The present study examined whether perceived social support mediates the association between self-compassion and holistic well-being among parents of children with hearing impairment. Data from 275 parents were analyzed. Self-compassion was assessed using the 12-item Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, perceived social support using the 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and well-being using the five-item WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Reverse-keyed self-compassion items were re coded before scale scoring. Pearson correlations and ordinary least-squares mediation analyses with 20,000 bootstrap samples were conducted. Self-compassion was positively associated with perceived social support, r = .155, p = .010, and strongly associated with well-being, r = .720, p < .001. Perceived social support was also positively associated with well-being, r = .503, p < .001. The total effect of self-compassion on well-being was significant, B = 1.681, p < .001. With perceived social support entered as a mediator, the direct effect remained significant, B = 1.536, p < .001, while the indirect effect was .145, with a bootstrap 95% confidence interval of [.039, .244]. Thus, the findings support partial statistical mediation: perceived social support accounts for a modest but significant portion of the association between self-compassion and well-being. The findings suggest that interventions that combine self-compassion training with family-, friend-, and community-based support may be useful to improve well-being in parents of children with hearing impairment.