Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Depression in Cancer Patients Referring to the Oncology Ward of Shahid Baghaee Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran

Background: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric diseases in cancer patients. Few studies showed that self-compassion is a reliable predictor of mental health. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the relationship between self-compassion and depression in cancer patients referring to the Oncology Ward of Shahid Baghaee Hospital in Ahvaz. Methods: This correlational study was conducted on 106 eligible adult cancer patients who referred to the Oncology Ward of Shahid Baghaee Hospital in Ahvaz. The patients were chosen using convenience sampling. Data were collected by a demographic questionnaire, the Beck depression scale, and the self-compassion scale (SCS-LF). Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: This study recruited 106 cancer patients with a mean age of 41.14 ± 15.12 years. The majority of the subjects were male (61.3%), married (65.1%), and urban residents (68.9%). Chemotherapy was the most used treatment in these patients (70.8%). The mean scores of self-compassion and depression were 3.2 ± 0.41 and 19.87 ± 12.55, respectively. These results indicated a moderate level of self-compassion and a high level of depression in the patients. There was a significant negative correlation between self-compassion and depression (P < 0.05). Conclusions: As the results of the present study indicated the high prevalence of depression in the studied patients and a negative relationship between depression and self-compassion, it is necessary to perform psychological interventions with an emphasis on compassion component to reduce depression in these patients.