Background: Many older adults experience chronic age-related stressors (e.g., life regrets or health problems) that are difficult to control and can disturb cortisol regulation. Self-compassion may buffer adverse effects of these stressful experiences on diurnal cortisol secretion in older adulthood. Purpose: To examine whether self-compassion could benefit older adults’ cortisol secretion in the context of chronic and largely uncontrollable age-related stressors. Methods: 233 community- dwelling older adults reported their levels of self-compassion, age-related stressors (regret intensity, physical health problems, and functional disability), and relevant covariates. Diurnal cortisol was measured over 3 days and the average area-under-the-curve (AUC) and slope were
calculated. Results: Higher levels of self-compassion were associated with lower daily cortisol levels among older adults who reported higher levels of regret intensity, physical health problems, or functional disability (βs < -.54, ps < .01), but not among their counterparts who reported lower levels of these age-related stressors (βs < .24, ps > .28). Conclusions: These results suggest that self- compassion may represent an important personal resource that could protect older adults from stress- related biological disturbances resulting from chronic and uncontrollable stressors.