Self-compassion plays a role in Canadian women athletes' body appreciation and intuitive eating: A mixed methods approach.

Researchers propose self-compassion as a resource for athletes, yet, it remains unclear how self-compassion relates to athletes' positive body and eating experiences in sport. The purpose of this research was to explore the role of self-compassion in Canadian women athletes' body appreciation and intuitive eating, applying an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Quantitative results (n=90) highlight that self-compassion was positively related to body appreciation (r=.68, p< 01) and intuitive eating (r=.53, p< .01) and negatively related to disordered eating (r=-.59, p< .01), compulsive exercise (r=-.37, p< .01), and state self-criticism (r=- .45, p< .01). Further, self-compassion contributed beyond self-esteem in study variables (ΔR²s .04 to .09, ps <01). Three generated themes highlight women's experiences (n=6): (a) the uniqueness of sport, (b) compassionate awareness, and (c) personalized expectations. The findings highlight that self-compassion plays a role in Canadian women athletes' body and eating attitudes by promoting adaptive perspectives, and protecting and facilitating well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]