Compassion Education for Prosocial Behavior and Well-Being Among College Students Article Details (original) (raw)
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Compassion Education for Prosocial Behavior and Well-Being Among College Students
Journal of Mental Health and Social Behaviour
Recent studies indicate that many young adults, especially US college students, experience high levels of stress, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, and sexual violence. Many institutions of higher education rely on policies that often are reportedly biased towards materialistic pursuits, science and mathematics curriculums, and standardized testing which may promote students' extrinsic motivation and individualistic behaviors. This review examines the potential benefits of compassion education to enhance the prosocial attitudes, mental health, and well-being among undergraduate college students. The two overarching goals of this paper are first, to highlight the current mental health challenges facing undergraduate college students and their causes, and second, to propose possible solutions to address these issues. Data from empirical studies on compassion are reviewed to examine the effectiveness of compassion education and training approaches in establishing a safer, healthier, happier, and more inclusive educational learning environment leading to enhanced prosocial behaviors and positive mental health.
Compassion Development in Higher Education
Journal of Psychology and Theology, 2015
Many schools of psychology and religious studies intend to promote the cultivation of compassion. Compassion is currently an integral area of study in psychology, religious studies, and higher education, specifically in faith-based higher education. While secular universities in the United States strive to generate disciplinary-based knowledge through scholarship, their ability to promote students’ use of the information they are learning to create positive social change has typically lagged. Conscious of the magnitude of today's global issues and dissatisfied with the current disparity between the world's reality and university curricula, scholars have begun to re-imagine the role of higher education in forming the leaders who will face our most exigent problems. The present article reviews how compassion can be integrated into university curriculum, specifically in faith-based institutions. The article also discusses how compassion can be measured throughout the course of ...
2014
Compassion is becoming a focus for psycho-educational training courses and has been linked to better education and employment outcomes. Higher education can be a stressful period and is often a time when mental wellbeing difficulties develop. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a compassion focused therapy training course for use within the higher education context. The course was evaluated in the short and medium term using self-report questionnaires measuring self-compassion, self-criticism, academic selfefficacy, and psychological distress, as well as interviews. A small sample size (n=9) limited the interpretation of findings. Improvements in self-compassion, self-criticism, and academic selfefficacy were observed both immediately, at a six-month follow-up. However, a small increase in psychological distress was also observed. The training course was acceptable to all participants, with practice and feedback from all participants being the elements cited as most useful. Further research, with a larger sample size, which examines the impact of compassion focused training on academic grades and wellbeing is required.
Compassion Predictors in Undergraduates: A Catholic College Example
Pastoral Psychology, 2016
Compassion is sorely needed in contemporary society, including within faith-based colleges. Past research has examined the prevention of compassion fatigue in healthcare professions, but relatively little research exists on the predictors of compassion, particularly among student populations. This study examines the factors associated with higher compassion levels in graduating college seniors, revealing demographic, experiential, and beliefrelated factors contributing to compassion. Results suggest that the general profile of a highly compassionate graduating college senior is a student who is female, politically liberal, religious, studying the natural or social sciences, actively involved in community service or volunteering, and who has undergone workshops on racial/cultural awareness and sensitivity. Keywords Compassion. College students. Catholic higher education Compassion, defined as "being moved by another's suffering and wanting to help" (Lazarus 1991, p. 289), is considered a desirable human trait and has been advocated for in religious and spiritual development for centuries. Altruism, a value closely related to compassion (Smith 2009), is thought to have evolutionary roots because of its social desirability in groups and its strengthening of maternal instincts (Darwin 1871). Sober and Wilson (1998) found that groups with more altruists ultimately fair better than groups with fewer altruists. Yet, what makes a person compassionate? Are there certain qualities or traits that inherently predispose a person to become compassionate? Are there activities or experiences that cultivate compassion? Compassion has been traditionally reserved for parental and religious education; however, a developing trend to include compassion-related curricula in the higher education system suggests compassion is an integral part of education in general (Campus
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools
The success of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) interventions is thought to rely on teacher social emotional competency, student-teacher relationships, and the readiness of the school environment. From an evolutionary motivational systems perspective, an underlying driver behind these aspects is the motivational state of students and teachers. Providing a foundational framework for supporting SEL development may be a critical differentiating factor in successfully incorporating SEL into curriculum to enhance individual and group-level wellbeing. This article presents compassion as a motivational framework that can be used to support SEL. We review theoretical perspectives and empirical research applying compassion to help regulate emotional experience and provide a series of possible suggestions on how to integrate compassion into classrooms. Specifically, we provide a series of suggestions on how compassion can help with student and staff wellbeing. A compassionate approach to estab...
Nurturing Compassion Development Among College Students: A Longitudinal Study
Journal of College and Character, 2016
Little research exists on the development of compassion among college undergraduates. This study tracks changes in compassion and identify factors associated with these changes over the course of undergraduate students' college careers, from the time of admittance to the time of graduation. We found that 25% of the variance in compassion at the time of graduation is accounted for by compassion levels assessed at the point of college entrance, providing evidence for the notion that compassion can continue to be cultivated once in college. We found that predictors such as diversity training, the frequency of religious service attendance, participation in community based service learning, political identification, and feeling valued as a member of the university community account for an additional 10% of the variance in compassion scores at the time of graduation. Results suggest that compassion development in college students may increase through the use of particular intentional educational experiences.
Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 2018
Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to have psychological benefits in college students. We explored the effects of an academic Seminar on Compassion on student psychological health. Forty-one participants (14 male, 27 female, mean age 19.8 ± 1.4 years) were assessed pre- and post- spring semesters 2013 and 2014. Students were randomized to the Seminar on Compassion or a wait-list control group. Participants completed self-report measures on anxiety, depression, perceived stress, self-compassion, compassion and mindfulness. Salivary alpha-amylase was also assessed. At baseline, self-compassion and mindfulness were negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. There were significant changes between the intervention and control group from Time 1 to Time 2 in mindfulness, self-compassion, compassion, and salivary alpha-amylase; however, there were no significant changes in depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. The course was effective in increasi...
The Mediating Role of Self-compassion in Student Psychological Health
Australian Psychologist, 2016
Objective: Self-compassion is an adaptive emotion-regulation strategy characterised by self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. This cross-sectional study examined the mediating role of self-compassion in student psychological health. Method: An international sample of 306 tertiary students completed measures of self-compassion, well-being (satisfaction with life, flourishing, and positive affect), and distress (stress, negative affect, burnout, and depression). Results: Correlational analyses indicated that higher self-compassion was associated with higher well-being and lower distress. A series of multiple regression analyses indicated that self-compassion mediated the relationships between stress and depression, negative affect and depression, burnout and depression, and aggregate distress and aggregate well-being. Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that self-compassion may be a useful addition to interventions aimed at mitigating student distress and improving student well-being.
Improving Well-Being in Higher Education: Adopting a Compassionate Approach
2019
This chapter directs attention to calls to integrate compassion training in curricula throughout the education system. Following a review of current Higher Education (HE) aims and objectives, and the potential psychological impacts that these can have on staff and students, we outline a case for compassion based initiatives in education. We discuss the nature and functions of compassion, as well as how compassion can heighten prosocial competencies. We then consider how compassion based approaches can be - and have been - implemented in education settings, including HE, to promote the health and well-being of staff and students, as well as academic performance. We argue that elements of compassion should underpin the training of lecturers (and teachers), as well as students, if UK institutes of learning truly embrace the various core values they advertise.