Exploring the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between emotional distress and quality of life in celiac disease.
- 1Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- 2Celiac Disease and Gluten Related Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Background
Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune condition with gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms, often impairing physical and psychological well-being. Although a strict gluten-free diet remains the only effective treatment, many patients continue to experience persistent, distressing symptoms. Psychological difficulties-particularly anxiety and depression-are highly prevalent among individuals with celiac disease. Self-compassion has been suggested as a positive psychological resource that may influence the impact of anxiety and depression on psychological and social quality of life in this population. This study aimed to investigate whether self-compassion mediates the relationships between anxiety, depression, and the psychological and social dimensions of quality of life in individuals with celiac disease.Materials and methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 198 adult celiac patients recruited from Taleghani Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Participants completed validated measures of anxiety, depression, self-compassion, and quality of life. Mediation analyses were performed using the R lavaan package.Results
Self-compassion fully mediated the relationship between anxiety and psychological quality of life (P < 0.001), and partially mediated the relationship between depression and psychological quality of life (P < 0.001). Depression significantly predicted social quality of life, but self-compassion showed no significant mediation for social QoL (P > 0.05).Conclusion
Self-compassion mitigates the impact of anxiety and depression on psychological QoL but not social QoL, while depression strongly impairs social functioning. To enhance QoL in celiac disease, self-compassion therapy could be integrated into clinical care to improve psychological well-being, while cognitive-behavioral or group-based interventions should be explored to address depression's social impact more effectively.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{mayeli2026exploring,
title = {{Exploring the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between emotional distress and quality of life in celiac disease.}},
author = {Shiva Mayeli and Fatemeh Nazari and Mohammad Rostami-Nejad and Amir Sam Kianimoghadam and Abbas Masjedi Arani and Amir Sadeghi and Shahab Lotfinia},
journal = {Journal of education and health promotion},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.4103/jehp.jehp_1234_25},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924311},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exploring the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between emotional distress and quality of life in celiac disease.
AU - Shiva Mayeli
AU - Fatemeh Nazari
AU - Mohammad Rostami-Nejad
AU - Amir Sam Kianimoghadam
AU - Abbas Masjedi Arani
AU - Amir Sadeghi
AU - Shahab Lotfinia
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Journal of education and health promotion
DO - 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1234_25
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42924311
AB - Background Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune condition with gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms, often impairing physical and psychological well-being. Although a strict gluten-free diet remains the only effective treatment, many patients continue to experience persistent, distressing symptoms. Psychological difficulties-particularly anxiety and depression-are highly prevalent among individuals with celiac disease. Self-compassion has been suggested as a positive psychological resource that may influence the impact of anxiety and depression on psychological and social quality of life in this population. This study aimed to investigate whether self-compassion mediates the relationships between anxiety, depression, and the psychological and social dimensions of quality of life in individuals with celiac disease.Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 198 adult celiac patients recruited from Taleghani Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Participants completed validated measures of anxiety, depression, self-compassion, and quality of life. Mediation analyses were performed using the R lavaan package.Results Self-compassion fully mediated the relationship between anxiety and psychological quality of life (P < 0.001), and partially mediated the relationship between depression and psychological quality of life (P < 0.001). Depression significantly predicted social quality of life, but self-compassion showed no significant mediation for social QoL (P > 0.05).Conclusion Self-compassion mitigates the impact of anxiety and depression on psychological QoL but not social QoL, while depression strongly impairs social functioning. To enhance QoL in celiac disease, self-compassion therapy could be integrated into clinical care to improve psychological well-being, while cognitive-behavioral or group-based interventions should be explored to address depression's social impact more effectively.
SN - 2277-9531
SN - 2319-6440
ER -