{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T00:26:42Z","timestamp":1792628802624,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":68,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,14]],"date-time":"2025-03-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1741910400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Self-compassion is associated with emotional well-being, yet its benefits in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients remain unclear. This study investigated the impact of self-compassion on emotional and physiological stress responses in individuals diagnosed with GAD.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Seventy-seven GAD patients were categorized into high (n = 39) and low (n = 38) self-compassion groups using the Self-Compassion Scale. Electrocardiograms were recorded during a stress-inducing task, in which negative feedback was provided on personal intelligence and career development. Participants reported state anxiety and perceived stress pre- and post-task.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>When exposed to a stressor, individuals with higher self-compassion had lower heart rates (<jats:italic>t<\/jats:italic><jats:sub>(75)<\/jats:sub> = -2.06, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> = 0.043), higher heart rate variability (<jats:italic>t<\/jats:italic><jats:sub>(75)<\/jats:sub> = 2.73, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> = 0.04), and lower anxiety (<jats:italic>t<\/jats:italic><jats:sub>(75)<\/jats:sub> = -2.07, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> = 0.041) compared to the lower self-compassion group. Moreover, heart rate variability was negatively correlated with anxiety across patients (<jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic> = -0.31, df = 75, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> = 0.03).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>These results highlight the role of self-compassion in managing psychological and physiological responses to stress in GAD patients and indicate the potential of self-compassion interventions in GAD treatments.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1461758","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,14]],"date-time":"2025-03-14T07:08:15Z","timestamp":1741936095000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Self-compassion modulates autonomic and psychological responses to stress among adults with generalized anxiety 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