Structural Model of Health-Promoting Lifestyle Based on Mindfulness and Self-Compassion: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress in Working Women

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between mindfulness, self-compassion, and health-enhancing lifestyle in working women. The descriptive-correlational research method was structural equation modeling. The statistical population was all women working in government organizations and offices of Tehran province in 1401, from which 400 women were selected as a sample. The research tools are the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ, Bauer et al., 2006), the Short Form Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF, Rais et al., 2003), the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSS, Cohen et al. et al., 1983) and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLPII, Walker et al., 1987). The data were analyzed by structural equation analysis. The findings showed the optimal fit of the data with the proposed research model. Mindfulness and perceived stress had a significant direct effect on a health-promoting lifestyle (P<0.001) But the direct effect of self-compassion on a health-promoting lifestyle was not significant (P=0.008). Also, mindfulness and self-compassion with the mediation of perceived stress had a significant direct effect on health-promoting lifestyle (P < 0.001). From these findings, it can be concluded that increasing mindfulness and self-compassion reduces perceived stress in working women and increases health-promoting lifestyle.