Validation of the psychometric properties of the self‐compassion scale. Testing the factorial validity and factorial invariance of the measure among borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorder and general populations

Costa, Joana; Maroco, João; Gouveia, José Augusto Pinto; Ferreira, Cláudia; Castilho, Paula

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/3918

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Authors

Costa, Joana

Maroco, João

Gouveia, José Augusto Pinto

Ferreira, Cláudia

Castilho, Paula

Abstract(s)

Background: During the last years, there has been a growing interest in self-compassion. Empirical evidences show that self-compassion is associated with psychological benefits among young adults and it might be considered a buffer factor in several mental disorders. Aims: The aim of this study was to validate the psychometric properties of the Self-compassion Scale (SCS: Neff, 2003a) after the initial lack of replicating the original six-factor structure. Method: Data were collected from the overall database of a research centre (56 men and 305 women; mean age = 25.19) and comprised four groups: borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorder and general population. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor model (self-compassionate attitude versus self-critical attitude) with good internal consistencies, construct-related validity and external validity. Configural, weak measurement and structural invariance of the two-factor model of SCS were also shown. Conclusions: Findings support the generalizability of the two-factor model and show that both properties and interpretations of scores on self-compassion are equivalent across these population groups.