Abstract

Negative events experienced in life can cause negative emotions. When these emotions are suppressed and become indistinguishable from bodily sensations, they can result in somatic symptoms. The suppression of negative emotions and alexithymia has been identified as a pathway to somatic symptoms. This study aimed to explore an alternative pathway for relieving somatic symptoms through self-compassion. The hypothesis proposes that responding to negative emotions with self-compassion, rather than suppressing them, allows for the recognition and expression of emotions, thus alleviating symptoms. A cross-sectional design was used, and a total of 299 cyber university students participated in an online survey. The survey included the Life Experiences Survey, Attitudes toward Emotional Expression Scale, Self-Compassion Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, and the Somatization Symptoms Scale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision. The results revealed a significant indirect effect from negative life events to somatic symptoms, mediated by emotional suppression and alexithymia in sequence. Additionally, an alternative mediation pathway through self-compassion, instead of emotional suppression, was also found to be significant. The study discusses the clinical implications of the differential mediating effects of emotional suppression and self-compassion in the explanatory model of somatization. It also suggests limitations of the present study and offers directions for future research.