Self-reported practices of self-compassion of business students at times of Covid-19

Authors

  • Dr. Donna Wampole University of Southern Maine
  • Dr. Amarpreet Kohli University of Southern Maine
  • Dr. Hermeet Kohli University of North Carolina-Greensboro
  • John Grigas, MSW, LMSW-cc University of Southern Maine

Keywords:

Self-compassion, Business students, Wellness, Covid-19, Business education

Abstract

Self-compassion focuses on personal well-being, self-forgiveness, and connection to others who may also be struggling with life stressors. Self-compassion practices have been found to support well-being across a variety of populations, including individuals in intellectually and emotionally demanding professional or academic environments. A significant body of research has focused on the impact of self- compassion and associated mindfulness interventions for practitioners and students within the helping professions; however, there is a dearth of research examining self-compassion among those in business and business students. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic created a challenging environment marked by disconnection, isolation, and health-related stressors that affected everyone. The following study examined how business students practiced self-compassion, noted changes in said practice, and how said practice changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Author Biographies

  • Dr. Donna Wampole, University of Southern Maine

    A doctoral graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Wampole is an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Her clinical social work career focused on working with individuals with trauma and dual diagnosis needs within the framework of both individual and group therapies, and with an emphasis on informed and standard Dialectical Behavior Therapy, with its focus on mindfulness, compassion, and addressing the needs for dialectical approaches to communication, relationships, and emotional regulation. Her dissertation research focused on the experience of burnout in inpatient-employed psychiatric nurses and the use of mindfulness as a mitigating practice against burnout, as well as trauma-informed care in nursing with the addition of mindfulness education for nursing well-being and improved patient outcomes.

    Her ongoing areas of focus continue in the realm of burnout, self-compassion and empathic distress and means for social workers, students, and other human service professionals to find balance and wellbeing with mindfulness, compassion and effective self-care. These areas of concentration are also integrated into her curriculum as she present methods of foundational and advanced social work interventions including an emphasis on social work student self-care, self-compassion and well-being during their student journey and post-academic careers

  • Dr. Amarpreet Kohli, University of Southern Maine

    An Associate Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at the University of Southern Maine, Dr. Kohli’s teaching philosophy can be broadly stated as “continuously striving to help students develop critical thinking skills by stimulating the learning environment to their needs”. He makes every effort to present knowledge and information using various teaching approaches to accommodate different learning styles and the individual needs of his students. He integrates classroom experiences with real life examples from diverse businesses to encourage students’ development of critical thinking and curiosity.

    He has received Faculty senate award for excellence in Service, outstanding Professor of the year award for innovative Teaching by Dean list of students and Faculty senate award for excellence in Intellectual Contributions/Scholarship. Additionally, he is a member of honor societies including Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi honors society.

  • Dr. Hermeet Kohli, University of North Carolina-Greensboro

    Dr. Hermeet Kohli is a Professor in the Department of Social Work at UNC-Greensboro She served for 18 years in various capacities at the University of Southern Maine in Portland before coming to UNCG in Fall 2024. She has also worked at California State University, Chico, University of Louisville, and University of Delhi (India). Dr. Kohli employs the critical compassion framework to guide her work with stakeholders, integrating passion, inspiration, and vulnerability into inclusive and collaborative initiatives.

    Her academic leadership spans diverse roles such as site visitor for the Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation, Director of Women and Gender Studies Program, Interim Director MSW /Associate Dean in the School of Social Work, and Coordinator for both master’s in social work (MSW) and bachelor’s in social work (BSW) programs. She has also chaired the MSW Program Admissions, coordinated Program Assessment, and overseen the BSW Honors Program in her prior academic appointments.

    Dr. Kohli’s extensive practitioner experience with runaway youth as well as immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in national and international social work agencies complements her research focus on participatory and applied methodologies, emphasizing culturally responsive social work practices. Her current research explores culturally responsive approaches with immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, aiming to amplify marginalized voices. Additional research interests include intimate partner violence prevention, integrating self-compassion in higher education and social work practice, and innovating online course development to enhance student needs.

    She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, delivered conference presentations, and secured several grant awards, including federal and regional grants. Dr. Kohli also serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Teaching in Social Work and Critical Social Work.

    She earned her master’s in social work from the University of Delhi, India, and her Ph.D. in Social Work from the Joint Program of the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky.

  • John Grigas, MSW, LMSW-cc, University of Southern Maine

    A 2022 graduate of the University of Southern Maine's Masters of Social Work program, Mr. Grigas contributed to this publication in his role as Graduate Assistant to Drs. H. Kohli and Wampole.  Mr. Grigas now practices as a Licensed Master's Social Worker in the State of Maine.

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Published

2025-08-25

Issue

Vol. 65 No. 1 (2025): Journal of Research in Business Education

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Wampole, D., Kohli, A., Kohli, H., & Grigas, J. (2025). Self-reported practices of self-compassion of business students at times of Covid-19. The Journal of Research In Business Education, 65(1). https://jrbe.nbea.org/index.php/jrbe/article/view/131

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