The ability of self-compassion and Confucian coping to predict anxiety and depression were examined in impoverished Chinese undergraduate students. Three hundred and thirty impoverished undergraduates completed measures of self-compassion, Confucian coping, depression, and anxiety. Results showed that higher self-compassion predicted lower depression and anxiety in impoverished undergraduates. Higher pro-setback thinking and responsibility thinking of Confucian coping were related with lower depression and anxiety. Higher fate thinking of Confucian coping was related with higher depression and anxiety. The predictive ability for depression and anxiety of self-compassion combined with fate thinking was better than self-compassion alone. Intervention to enhance self-compassion and reduce fate thinking may be beneficial to mental health in impoverished undergraduates.

We examined the relationships among savoring, positive life events, and hopelessness depression. Participants comprised 266 Chinese undergraduate college students who filled out 3 measures to assess savoring, positive life events, and hopelessness depression. Results showed that savoring was negatively correlated with hopelessness depression and positively correlated with positive life events, and that savoring significantly moderated the relationship between positive life events and hopelessness depression. These findings indicate that savoring is a protective factor for hopelessness depression. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

This study explored the association of the affective experience (AE) of life events on hopelessness depression (HD). Undergraduates (N = 301) participating in a 12-week prospective study completed measures of HD, cognitive style, and psychological stress. The results indicate AE is an underlying mechanism influencing the longitudinal link between life events and HD. Negative life events with clear negative AE directly promoted the development of HD. Positive life events with clear positive AE directly impeded the development of HD. Neutral life events with mixed AE directly and interacting with negative cognitive style promoted the development of HD. The results should increase understanding of the hopelessness theory of depression, and suggest that neutral life events should be important elements in depression therapy.

We examined the relationship between self-compassion and hopelessness depression. The participants were 418 students at a technology college in Hunan, China, who completed questionnaires to measure self-compassion, hopelessness depression, and negative cognitive style. The results showed that self-compassion was negatively associated with both hopelessness depression and negative cognitive style, and negative cognitive style emerged as a significant mediator in the relationship between self-compassion and hopelessness depression. The results suggest that self-compassion had buffering effects on hopelessness depression through its positive effects on negative cognitive style. The findings in the present study can help expand current understanding of self-compassion and hopelessness depression.