MINDFULNESS, SELF-COMPASSION AND PERFECTIONISM AMONG DOCTORS IN PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Adnan Haider; Haiqa Khan

doi:10.20319/icssh.2026.596607

Authors

Adnan Haider Sports and Health Management, Da-Yeh University, Changhua, Taiwan
Haiqa Khan Health Department, CMH Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20319/icssh.2026.596607

Keywords:

Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, Perfectionism, Doctors, Physicians, Pakistan, Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Doctors work in clinical environments that require sustained attention, emotional regulation, and repeated exposure to human suffering. The present cross-sectional study examined the relationships among mindfulness, self-compassion, and perfectionism among doctors in the Hazara Division of Pakistan and explored differences across selected demographic variables. A convenience sample of 300 doctors completed a demographic sheet and three standardized self-report measures: the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Big Three Perfectionism Scale-Short Form. Internal consistency estimates were acceptable for mindfulness (alpha = .81), self-compassion (alpha = .71), and perfectionism (alpha = .87). Pearson correlations indicated that mindfulness was positively associated with self-compassion (r = .438, p < .01) and negatively associated with perfectionism (r = -.173, p < .01). Self-compassion was positively associated with perfectionism (r = .692, p < .01), and age showed small positive associations with all three variables. Gender comparisons showed a small significant difference in mindfulness, with males reporting slightly higher mindfulness scores than females, while differences in self-compassion and perfectionism were small and non-significant. Descriptive comparisons by qualification suggested higher mindfulness and self-compassion among MBBS-qualified doctors, whereas FCPS-qualified doctors showed a slightly higher perfectionism mean. Findings highlight the importance of mindfulness and self-compassion as psychological resources for doctors and suggest the need for further research using larger multi-region samples and verified subgroup analyses.

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