The direct and indirect influences of self-compassion on alcohol consumption among Thai businessmen, mediated by stress and depression

Abstract

The current research aimed to explore the direct and indirect influences of self-compassion (SC) on alcohol consumption (AC), being mediated by stress and depression among Thai businessmen in Bangkok, Thailand. This research investigation employed quantitative methods based on data derived from a self-report survey questionnaire on a population of 266 Thai businessmen (N=266). This study used the correlation approach via path analysis to determine if the targeted population’s level of SC can predict their level of AC, both directly and indirectly, being mediated by their levels of stress and depression. The findings demonstrated significant direct influence of SC on AC. It was also found that SC has negative direct influence on stress and depression, indicating that the more self-compassionate the participants are, the lower is their level of depression and stress. Surprisingly, this research did not find an indirect influence of SC on AC, being mediated by stress and depression. The findings, conclusions, limitations, and recommendations of the study were discussed accordingly.