Guilt and Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion in Perinatal Loss

Background: Perinatal loss is a painful and often invisible experience that deeply challenges mental and emotional health, with lasting impact on those who endure it. Method: This study assessed guilt, depressive symptoms, and self-compassion in portuguese women after perinatal loss, considering timing of the loss. The mediating effect of self-compassion on guilt and depressive symptoms was also examined, as well as the relationships between variables. Of the 545 women who answered the online questionnaire, 501 were eligible. Results: Participants reported high depressive symptoms, and moderate guilt and self-compassion. Self-compassion correlated negatively with guilt and depressive symptoms, which were positively correlated. Mediation analysis using PROCESS (Hayes, 2013) showed that self-compassion significantly mediated the link between guilt and depressive symptoms (ß = .05; 95% CI [.03, .08]). Findings indicate self-compassion plays a protective role, mitigating effects of guilt and depression, and emphasize its clinical relevance as a therapeutic resource in perinatal grief.