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Evaluating the Multifactor Structure of the Long and Short Versions of the Self‐Compassion Scale in a Clinical Sample
Author(s) -
Castilho Paula,
PintoGouveia José,
Duarte Joana
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22187
Subject(s) - psychology , confirmatory factor analysis , clinical psychology , psychopathology , self compassion , scale (ratio) , population , reliability (semiconductor) , convergent validity , sample (material) , psychometrics , internal consistency , structural equation modeling , statistics , mindfulness , medicine , power (physics) , physics , chemistry , mathematics , environmental health , chromatography , quantum mechanics
Objective There has been a growing interest in the concept of self‐compassion in Eastern psychology. The aim of the present study was to explore the dimensionality of the widely used Self‐Compassion Scale (SCS; long and short versions) in both clinical and nonclinical samples Method Several confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were computed in a mixed clinical ( n = 316) and a nonclinical sample ( n = 1128) from the Portuguese population. Also, differences were tested between the groups in the SCS 6 factors. Results The CFA supported both a 6‐factor model and a hierarchical model in both samples. The SCS also showed good psychometric properties, with good internal consistency, test‐retest reliability, and convergent validity. Our study further suggests that individuals with several psychopathological disorders showed significantly lower self‐compassionate abilities. Conclusions The SCS (long and short versions) is thus a reliable instrument to assess self‐compassion and is useful for research and, in particular, clinical practice.