G-Couns: Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling
Vol. 10 No. 04 (2026): October 2026, G-Couns: Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling

Self-Compassion and Post-Traumatic Growth: The Mediating Role of Gratitude among Young Adults Experiencing Romantic Heartbreak

Robby Maulana (Universitas Paramadina)
Sasmiatin Irawan (Universitas Paramadina)
Devi Wulandari (Universitas Paramadina)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Aug 2026

Abstract

Research on post-traumatic growth (PTG) in the context of heartbreak as a form of relational trauma remains limited. This study examined whether gratitude mediates the relationship between self-compassion and PTG among early adults experiencing a romantic breakup. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed with 403 Indonesian adults aged 20-40 years who had experienced a breakup within the past 1–3 years. Measures included the Self-Compassion Scale, Gratitude Questionnaire-6, and the Indonesian Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory. Data were analyzed using PROCESS Macro Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap samples. Results indicated that self-compassion positively predicted gratitude (β = 0.09, p < .01) and PTG (β = 0.31, p < .01), while gratitude positively predicted PTG (β = 2.10, p < .01). The indirect effect of self-compassion on PTG through gratitude was significant (indirect effect = 0.19, 95% CI (0.098, 0.298), and the model explained 28.7% of the variance in PTG (R² = .287). These findings demonstrate that gratitude functions as a psychological mechanism linking self-compassion to post-traumatic growth following heartbreak. The results support the development of strength-based psychological interventions that cultivate self-compassion and gratitude in relational trauma recovery. Keywords: gratitude, heartbreak, post-traumatic growth, relational trauma, self-compassion

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Journal Info

Abbrev

bk

Publisher

Subject

Education Physics Other

Description

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