Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a self-compassion writing program on parenting stress, depression, and subjective well-being among mothers of infants with depressive tendencies. Promotional posters were displayed in online communities and on offline bulletin boards for mothers, and interested participants were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=20) or a wait-control group (n=19). The program for the experimental group included three educational sessions and six individual self-compassion writing sessions conducted over three weeks, utilizing a video conference platform(Whale-on) and an online survey tool(Naver-form). The measuring instruments used in this study included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale(CES-D), the Korean Version of the Measure of Self-Compassion Scale(K-SCS), the Korean Version of Parenting Stress Index-Short Form(K-PSI-SF), the Satisfaction with Life Scale(SWLS), the Life Satisfaction Expectancy Scale(LSES), and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule(PANAS). All participants completed a pre-test, a post-test, and a follow-up test after four weeks. The results indicated that, compared to the wait-list control group, the experimental group’s levels of self-compassion and subjective well-being significantly increased, while their levels of parenting stress and depression decreased. Finally, the implications and limitations of this study, as well as suggestions for future research, were discussed.