A path toward self-acceptance: The mediating effects of body image between self-love, self-compassion, and self-acceptance in people with obesity

Obesity is a significant global health challenge often accompanied by weight stigma and psychological distress. This study aimed to examine the structural relationships between self-love, self-compassion, body image, and self-acceptance among adults with obesity in Indonesia. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted involving 200 adults with obesity (Body Mass Index > 23 kg/m²). The participants consisted of 71% women and 29% men, all within the age range of 18–40 years. Data were collected using self-report measures and analyzed using path analysis with bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) to estimate direct and indirect effects. The findings revealed that self-compassion was the strongest positive predictor of self-acceptance. Contrary to expectations, neither self-love nor body image significantly predicted self-acceptance directly. Furthermore, body image did not mediate the relationships between self-love or self-compassion and self-acceptance. These results suggest that for adults with obesity in Indonesia, self-acceptance is predominantly driven by internal emotion-regulation mechanisms (self-compassion) rather than by body evaluations or motivational self-love. Psychological interventions should prioritize fostering self-compassion to enhance well-being in this population.