Investigating the Effectiveness of Self-Compassion Training in Reducing Academic Anxiety and Enhancing Self-Acceptance among Adolescent Students
Keywords:
self-compassion, academic anxiety, self-acceptance, adolescent students, school-based intervention, qualitative studyAbstract
This study aimed to explore adolescent students’ lived experiences of self-compassion training and its perceived role in reducing academic anxiety and enhancing self-acceptance. This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. The research population consisted of adolescent students in Tehran who had participated in a self-compassion training program. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation, and sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. A total of 21 adolescent students aged 14 to 17 years from secondary schools in Tehran participated in the study. Data were collected exclusively through semi-structured interviews. Each interview lasted approximately 40 to 60 minutes and was audio-recorded after obtaining informed consent. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using NVivo software. Data analysis involved open coding, categorization of codes, development of subthemes, and extraction of main categories. To enhance trustworthiness, member checking, peer review, analytic memo writing, and an audit trail were employed. The analysis resulted in five main categories: reduction of self-criticism and evaluative academic anxiety, improvement of emotional regulation in academic situations, enhancement of self-acceptance and reduction of social comparison, reconstruction of students’ relationship with academic failure and mistakes, and strengthening of psychological safety and help-seeking in school. Participants reported that self-compassion training helped them respond to exams, low grades, parental criticism, and peer comparison with less self-blame and greater calmness, realism, and kindness toward themselves. The findings indicated that self-compassion training can be considered a school-based psychological and educational intervention for reducing academic anxiety and promoting self-acceptance among adolescents. By reducing self-judgment, normalizing academic mistakes, strengthening mindfulness, and fostering supportive inner dialogue, self-compassion training may contribute to students’ academic adjustment and psychological well-being.
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