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Self‐connection and well‐being: Development and validation of a self‐connection scale
Author(s) -
Klussman Kristine,
Nichols Austin Lee,
Curtin Nicola,
Langer Julia,
Orehek Edward
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2812
Subject(s) - psychology , mindfulness , scale (ratio) , confirmatory factor analysis , self compassion , incremental validity , social psychology , construct validity , connection (principal bundle) , construct (python library) , clarity , reliability (semiconductor) , exploratory factor analysis , well being , self acceptance , developmental psychology , psychometrics , structural equation modeling , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , computer science , chemistry , structural engineering , engineering , biochemistry , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , machine learning , programming language , physics
Self‐connection is defined as an (1) awareness of oneself, (2) acceptance of oneself based on this awareness, and (3) alignment of one's behavior with this awareness. Although some promising results suggest that self‐connection uniquely contributes to well‐being, they have relied on an untested, single‐item measure. To advance empirical examination of self‐connection and its role in well‐being, the current research developed and validated a 12‐item Self‐Connection Scale (SCS). We recruited a total of 1,469 participants across three studies to examine the SCS and its three underlying components. Using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we found evidence supporting the factor structure and inter‐item reliability as well as evidence of construct, concurrent, and incremental validity. Importantly, results from three studies suggest that the SCS is associated with multiple important indicators of health and well‐being. The scale also demonstrated incremental validity beyond mindfulness, authenticity, self‐concept clarity, self‐compassion, and self‐acceptance in its association with various mental health and well‐being indicators. Thus, the SCS provides a valuable tool to measure and examine self‐connection and its relationship to well‐being and other important psychological outcomes.