Quality of Life and Somatoform Symptoms among Afghan Adults: Mediating role of Self-Compassion

Abstract

Research aimed to examine relationship among self-compassion, quality of life, and somatoform symptoms in individuals from Afghanistan and to find mediating role of self-compassion between quality of life and somatoform symptoms. Afghanistan has been facing political instability and violence, resulting in profound psychological distress among its population. Somatoform symptoms are prevalent among conflict-affected populations and severely effect ones’ quality of life. 300 adults recruited from three universities. Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) were used for data collection. Results indicated self-compassion and quality of life had significant positive relationship. Furthermore, both self-compassion and quality of life were negatively associated with somatoform symptoms. Results showed relationship between quality of life and somatoform symptoms is partially mediated by self-compassion. The study offers practical implications for promoting well-being in individuals, particularly in contexts with unique socio-cultural challenges.