Exploring self-compassion in adults with disabilities: the roles of gender, disability history, and leisure-time physical activity

Background Self-compassion plays a vital role in emotional well-being, especially for individuals with disabilities who often face unique psychological challenges. When people treat themselves with kindness instead of harsh self-criticism, they tend to cope better with difficulties and maintain a more positive outlook. However, self-compassion is not the same for everyone as it can be shaped by many factors like gender, disability history (congenital vs. acquired), and participation in leisure-time physical activity. Understanding these influences can help develop better mental health support strategies and more personalized rehabilitation programs. Objectives This study explored self-compassion levels among adults with disabilities and examined how gender, disability history, and leisure-time physical activity influence self-compassion. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 162 adults with disabilities (85 men and 77 women; average age = 31.3 ± 10.69). Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) and reported how often they engaged in leisure-time physical activity each week. Results On average, participants showed moderate self-compassion levels (M = 3.49, SD = 0.58). Among the six components of self-compassion, self-judgment (M = 3.69, SD = 0.90) and over-identification (M = 3.71, SD = 0.92) were the highest, suggesting a tendency toward self-criticism and emotional overwhelm. Self-kindness had the lowest score (M = 3.19, SD = 0.82), indicating that many participants struggled to be compassionate toward themselves. Our further analysis showed that leisure-time physical activity and disability history were significant predictors of self-compassion. People who regularly engaged in sports or exercise and those with congenital disabilities tended to have higher self-compassion levels. Gender, however, was not significantly related to self-compassion. The overall model was significant, F(3, 158) = 10.833, p < .001, R2 = 0.171, explaining 17.1% of the variance in self-compassion. Conclusions Many adults with disabilities struggle with self-criticism and emotional distress, but engaging in regular leisure-time physical activity appears to support greater self-compassion. This suggests that making sports and recreation more accessible could help promote emotional resilience in this population. Additionally, the differences observed based on disability history highlight the need for personalized mental health support, as individuals born with a disability may experience self-compassion differently from those who acquired a disability later in life. Future research should further explore these patterns to help improve well-being and psychological support systems for adults with disabilities.