Is Self-Care Worth It? The Meta-Analysis That Proves It Works
Psych 🧠- 389/500
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What is it?
This analysis checks the effectiveness of self-care practices in professional psychology programs.
The analysis synthesized findings from 17 studies, encompassing 1,890 participants and 52 different effect sizes, finding a significant positive relationship between self-care and various positive outcomes.
Major Findings:
Self-care is effective for graduate student well-being: It revealed a large overall positive effect of self-care practices on outcomes like reduced psychological distress, increased gains (e.g., self-compassion), higher life satisfaction, and even GPA.
This suggests that engaging in self-care activities can significantly benefit graduate students' well-being and academic performance.Greater benefits for certain outcomes: Self-care had the largest impact on "gains" (e.g., self-compassion, accomplishment) and a smaller, though still significant, effect on reducing stress. This suggests that self-care might be more effective in promoting positive psychological resources than directly reducing stress levels in demanding graduate programs.
No moderation by self-care type or study characteristics: The positive effects of self-care were consistent across different types of self-care activities (mindfulness, social support, exercise, etc.), study designs (correlational, pre/post, controlled), and participant characteristics (program level, demographics). This suggests a "one-size-fits-all" benefit to some extent: engaging in any meaningful self-care activity can be beneficial.
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What do I need to know:
Self-care is important for graduate student well-being: The findings strongly support the call for self-care training and practice in professional psychology programs.
Focus on building positive resources: Self-care might be particularly beneficial in fostering self-compassion, a sense of accomplishment, and overall life satisfaction, which can buffer against the stresses of graduate training.
Tailor self-care plans to individual needs: While any type of self-care can be helpful, encouraging students to find activities that resonate with them personally might maximize the benefits.
Source:
https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000130