The Role of Self- compassion in the Relation between the Attachment Styles and Psychological Well-being: A Path Analysis Model

Psychological well-being is an essential component of general health and satisfaction. The purpose of the present study was to examine the mediating role of self-compassion in the relation between attachment styles and psychological wellbeing. This research was a descriptive-correlational study. The sample consisted of 593 mothers of elementary school students in Urmia that were selected by multistage random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires about adult attachment (Collins and Reid, 1996), self-compassion (Neff, 2003), and psychological well-being (Ryff, 1980). Using Pearson's correlation coefficient path analysis and software SPSS 20 and Amos 22, the data were analyzed. The results of the study indicated that psychological well-being had significant positive associations with the secure attachment style and self-compassion. However, it had a significant negative relation with insecure attachment. Early models did not fit, but removing the path of avoidant attachment style to psychological well-being made the model fit. Predictor variables together explained 32% of the changes in psychological wellbeing (P