TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of self-care and self-compassion in networks of resilience and stress among healthcare professionals

AU - Pank, Carolina

AU - von Boros, Lisa

AU - Lieb, Klaus

AU - Dalkner, Nina

AU - Egger-Lampl, Sebastian

AU - Lehr, Dirk

AU - Schäfer, Sarah K.

AU - Tüscher, Oliver

AU - Wessa, Michèle

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are essential for maintaining our healthcare system but are at risk for developing mental health issues due to chronic occupational stress. This can lead to a vicious cycle with extended sick leave, increased workloads for colleagues, and strain on the healthcare system. Therefore, preventive interventions aiming at enhancing resilience - the maintenance of mental health despite stress - are essential. Yet, identifying the most impactful resilience factors has been challenging. To explore the relationships between resilience factors, stress, mental health, and work-related outcomes, we conducted regularized partial correlation network analyses focusing on self-care and self-compassion. Cross-sectional data from HCPs in Germany were collected from June-July 2023. Analyses of 212 HCPs (age 41.63 [21–68] years; 81.60% women) revealed self-compassion as the most important factor across all networks, while the importance of self-care showed through individual connections to crucial factors like mental health problems and work-life balance. Work engagement, contrary to burnout, was closely interrelated with resilience factors. In conclusion, despite accounting for established evidence-based resilience factors, self-compassion and self-care seem crucial in the context of stress and mental health in HCPs. More research is needed to validate the causal importance of self-care and self-compassion.

AB - Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are essential for maintaining our healthcare system but are at risk for developing mental health issues due to chronic occupational stress. This can lead to a vicious cycle with extended sick leave, increased workloads for colleagues, and strain on the healthcare system. Therefore, preventive interventions aiming at enhancing resilience - the maintenance of mental health despite stress - are essential. Yet, identifying the most impactful resilience factors has been challenging. To explore the relationships between resilience factors, stress, mental health, and work-related outcomes, we conducted regularized partial correlation network analyses focusing on self-care and self-compassion. Cross-sectional data from HCPs in Germany were collected from June-July 2023. Analyses of 212 HCPs (age 41.63 [21–68] years; 81.60% women) revealed self-compassion as the most important factor across all networks, while the importance of self-care showed through individual connections to crucial factors like mental health problems and work-life balance. Work engagement, contrary to burnout, was closely interrelated with resilience factors. In conclusion, despite accounting for established evidence-based resilience factors, self-compassion and self-care seem crucial in the context of stress and mental health in HCPs. More research is needed to validate the causal importance of self-care and self-compassion.

KW - Burnout

KW - Healthcare professionals

KW - Network models

KW - Resilience

KW - Self-Care

KW - Self-Compassion

KW - Psychology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105006808966&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-025-01111-1

DO - 10.1038/s41598-025-01111-1

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 40425582

AN - SCOPUS:105006808966

VL - 15

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

SN - 2045-2322

IS - 1

M1 - 18545

ER -