Investigating the Relationship between Lack of Self-compassion and Social Support: The Mediating Role of Disease Awareness in Women with Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases are more common in women than men, leading to increased vulnerability to mental health issues among women with these conditions.  The present study aimed to assess how a lack of self-compassion and social support, combined with disease awareness, impacts women with autoimmune diseases.  This cross-sectional research was conducted using structural equation modeling. The research focused on women with a history of autoimmune diseases in Tehran between July and October 2023. A total of 141 women with autoimmune diseases were included in the study, confirmed by specialists in research hospitals using targeted sampling. Data collection tools included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Self-Compassion Questionnaire, and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Descriptive statistics were conducted using SPSS software (version 27), while path coefficients between variables were analyzed using SmartPLS software (version 4). Sobel's test was employed to determine the significance of the mediator variable.  The current study revealed that the absence of self-compassion negatively impacted social support significantly (β=-0.512; P<0.001). Moreover, the absence of self-compassion had a significant detrimental impact on disease awareness (β=-0.464; P<0.001). On the contrary, the lack of self-compassion had an adverse and significant impact on social support as affected by disease awareness (β=-0.166; P=0.001).  As evidenced by the results of this study, the absence of self-compassion leads to a decrease in social support among women with autoimmune diseases.