A Mediator or Moderator? Self-Compassion's Role in the Association Between Emotional Self-Control and Help-Seeking Attitudes Among Asian American College Students

• Published in: Asian American journal of psychology 2022-06, Vol.13 (2), p.185-193
• Main Authors: Kim, Paul Youngbin, Jin, Joel, Bau, Katharine E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Asians; College Students; Ethnic Values; Female; Help Seeking Behavior; Human; Male; Roles; Self-Compassion; Self-Control; Student Attitudes
• ISSN: 1948-1985; 1948-1993
• DOI: 10.1037/aap0000248

Given the disparities in professional help-seeking of Asian Americans, continued empirical effort to identify the predictors, mediators, and moderators of help-seeking attitudes is needed. Although cultural values such as emotional self-control in relation to help-seeking attitudes have received empirical attention, self-compassion in the Asian American help-seeking literature remains unexplored. Thus, we examined the mediating and moderating role of self-compassion on the relationship between the Asian cultural value of emotional self-control and help-seeking attitudes in a sample of 257 Asian American college students. An online questionnaire containing the study measures was used to collect data. Emotional self-control was significantly associated with unfavorable help-seeking attitudes. Moreover, self-compassion was a significant mediator of the relation. Specifically, an increase in emotional self-control was associated with a decrease in self-compassion, which in turn was associated with favorable help-seeking attitudes. Self-compassion was a nonsignificant moderator. We discuss potential explanations for the indirect effect of emotional self-control on help-seeking attitudes through self-compassion, and we address implications of these findings for practice when working with Asian American college students. What is the public significance of this article? This study suggests that having compassion on oneself can aid in developing a positive attitude toward professional counseling among Asian American college students. Helping people increase their self-compassion holds much promise for addressing the problem of Asian Americans not seeking professional services because of cultural influences.