Validation of the Dutch Self-Critical Rumination Scale (SCRS-NL)

Abstract: Self-criticism and rumination are critically involved in affective disorders, with network approaches highlighting self-critical processes as central to rumination. The Self-Critical Rumination Scale (SCRS) assesses self-critical rumination, a repetitive negative thinking pattern that devalues the self, and has demonstrated good psychometric properties. This study aimed to validate a Dutch version of the SCRS (SCRS-NL) in a Belgian sample ( N = 466). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the one-factor structure of the original SCRS, and the SCRS-NL demonstrated internal consistency comparable to the original scale. The SCRS-NL showed moderate to large correlations with scales measuring related constructs (e.g., repetitive negative thinking, self-evaluative attitudes, fear of failure, perfectionism, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress). Moreover, the SCRS-NL exhibited incremental validity over established rumination measures (ruminative response scale and perseverative thinking questionnaire) in predicting symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Finally, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated measurement and scalar invariance between the SCRS-NL and the original English SCRS, confirming the SCRS-NL’s cross-cultural applicability and validity in assessing self-critical rumination.