Self-Compassion, Psychological Resilience, and Social Media Use among Thai and British University Students

Previous research has suggested that self-compassion and psychological resilience are likely to be protective factors for young people’s psychological wellbeing during their time at university. However, no research has focused on self-compassion and psychological resilience among Thai and British students. The aims of this study were to explore the factors that affected self-compassion and psychological resilience among Thai and British university students and to explore the role that social media use has on these constructs. A total of 767 university students (482 Thai and 285 British undergraduate students) took part in a questionnaire-based study and 42 students (21 Thai and 21 British undergraduate students) participated in the in-depth interviews. The quantitative data show that gender, year of study as well as social media factors were predictors of self-compassion, while social support and perceived success influenced psychological resilience among Thai and British students. In addition, the qualitative data indicate that Thai and British students encountered similar problems and highlight the role that family and friends had on students’ strategies to deal with their problems compared to teachers and social media. The comparison between the two groups is discussed in relation to social media and cultural factors and the implications for higher education are considered.