The relationship between self-compassion and self-worth in patients with traumatic brain injury: a latent profile analysis and examination of influencing factors

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often leads to post-traumatic syndrome, including symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and tinnitus, significantly compromising patients' quality of life. Self-compassion and self-worth, as key self-perception factors, have been widely demonstrated in previous research to buffer against negative self-evaluations, enhance self-worth, and improve quality of life. However, the internal heterogeneity of self-compassion and self-worth within the TBI patient population has not been sufficiently explored. This study aimed to identify potential subtypes based on the relationship between self-compassion and self-worth in TBI patients using latent profile analysis and to explore their influencing factors, thereby revealing individual differences and providing a basis for targeted interventions. Method: This cross-sectional study employed a convenience sampling method to recruit 586 diagnosed TBI patients between January and May 2025. Participants completed scales assessing self-compassion, self-worth, social support, and death anxiety to evaluate core variables. Latent profile analysis was conducted based on scores from the Self-compassion Scale and the Self-worth Scale to identify distinct profiles. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the effects of demographic variables, injury-related factors, and psychological factors on profile membership. Result: This study found a significant positive correlation between self-compassion and self-worth in TBI patients. Latent profile analysis identified three distinct profiles: a 'High self-compassion-high self-worth' group, a 'Moderate self-compassion-moderate self-worth' group, and a 'Moderate self-compassion-low self-worth' group. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that social support, death anxiety, and gender were significant factors influencing profile membership. Conclusion: This study uncovered heterogeneous profiles characterizing the relationship between self-compassion and self-worth in patients with traumatic brain injury and identified gender, death anxiety, and social support as key influencing factors. These findings underscore the necessity for targeted psychological interventions, such as enhancing social support and reducing death anxiety, to improve self-compassion in TBI patients, thereby fostering self-worth and quality of life.