Regulatory emotional self‐efficacy and self‐compassion mediate anxiety, depression, body image distress and subjective well‐being in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract Aims This study aims to investigate the mediating role of regulatory emotional self‐efficacy and self‐compassion in the relationship among anxiety, depression, body image distress and subjective well‐being among women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Design A cross‐sectional study. Methods The study recruited 510 women with polycystic ovary syndrome from a tertiary hospital affiliated with a university in Hunan Province, China. The study employed several tools to collect data, including the Generalized Anxiety Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9, the Body Image States Scale, the Self‐Compassion Scale, the Regulatory Emotional Self‐Efficacy Scale and the Index of Well‐being questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive analysis, spearman correlation analysis, ordinary least squares regression and bootstrapping. Results The study's findings indicate that regulatory emotional self‐efficacy and self‐compassion both act as mediators in the connection between anxiety, depression, body image distress and subjective well‐being among women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Conclusion The study emphasizes the significance of regulatory emotional self‐efficacy and self‐compassion in promoting well‐being among women with polycystic ovary syndrome. It also implies that interventions targeted at enhancing these factors could potentially enhance the subjective well‐being of women affected by PCOS. Impact Our study's primary contribution is to underscore the crucial mediating roles of regulatory emotional self‐efficacy and self‐compassion in the relationship among anxiety, depression, body image distress and subjective well‐being. Our study indicates that clinical practitioners should prioritize improving the regulatory emotional self‐efficacy and self‐compassion of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, reducing their anxiety, depression and body image distress and improving their subjective well‐being. Reporting Method This study was reported according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR). Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution outside of participation in the actual study for purposes of data collection.