Self-Compassion Around the World: Measurement Invariance of the Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identities, and Age Groups

Abstract Objectives The 12-item Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS–SF) is a widely used instrument for the assessment of self-compassion. To date, there have been few examinations of this instrument’s psychometric properties, particularly across nations and languages. Therefore, we used data from the Body Image in Nature Survey (BINS) to assess measurement invariance of the SCS–SF across nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups. Methods Participants ( N = 56,968) from 65 nations completed the SCS–SF in 40 languages. Using these data, we tested various hypothesised models of the SCS–SF in the total sample and, using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, tested for invariance of the optimal model across national groups, languages, gender identities, and age groups. Results In the total dataset, we found that an 11-item, 2-factor model (i.e., SCS-11) provided best fit to the data, with the two factors tapping distinct constructs of compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding. The SCS-11 was found to be partially scalar invariant across national groups and languages, and fully scalar invariant across gender identities and age groups. There was wide variation in latent means for the two factors, particularly across national groups and languages. Further analyses showed negligible associations between the two factors and sociodemographic variables, including marital status, financial security, and urbanicity. Conclusions Our results suggest that it may be possible to derive a stable 2-factor model of the SCS–SF for use in cross-cultural research, but also highlight the likelihood of cross-national and cross-linguistic variations in the way that self-compassion is understood.

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Journal
Mindfulness
Published
2025-04-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-025-02560-5
Citations
16
Primary Topic
Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
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article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
36.91
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article

Self-Compassion Around the World: Measurement Invariance of the Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identities, and Age Groups

Trawin Chaleeraktrakoon, Farinaz Farbod, Alireza Ghorbani, Alena Slezáčková et al.
16 citations
Mindfulness
Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
36.91
article

Self-Compassion Around the World: Measurement Invariance of the Short Form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identities, and Age Groups

Trawin Chaleeraktrakoon, Farinaz Farbod, Alireza Ghorbani, Alena Slezáčková, Sonja Windhager, Silvia Cerea, Mehdi Sharifi, Jacqueline Mills, Hikari Namatame, O Jiaqing, Olusola Ayandele, Maria Serena Panasiti, Steven R. Hawks, Simon Whitebridge, Sabine Pahl, Olivia McAnirlin, Hyejoo J. Lee, Kamila Czepczor‐Bernat, Lidia Márquez Baldó, Sadia Malik, Tracy L. Tylka, Viren Swami, Reza Afhami, Antonio Aliás Garcia, Anar Uyzbayeva, Teresita Borja-Álvarez, Mathew P. White, Camilla Matera, Karlijn Massar, Simon E. Dalley, Mahboubeh Dadfar, Félix Neto, Angel M. Dzhambov, Gill A. ten Hoor, Martina Zvaríková, Apitchaya Chaiwutikornwanich, Emrah Özsoy, Mariusz Lipowski, Mirjana Rupar, Kah Yan Wong, Timothy P. Chambers, Jacinthe Dion, Matthew Fuller‐Tyszkiewicz, Annie Aimé, Adrian F Furnham, Verónica Jiménez-Borja, Aitor Vicente-Arruebarrena, Natalia Irrazábal, Maryanne L. Fisher, Sahar Obeïd, John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta, Marcin Czub, Trefor Aspden, Adam Kantanista, Kate E. Mulgrew, Valentina Cazzato, Miroslava Bozogáňová, Mai Helmy, Moisés Mebarak, Taotao Ru, Yonguk Park, Evan M. Johnson, Devi R. Nithiya, Christophe Maïano, Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Martina Hřebı́čková, Miglė Bacevičienė, Marina Burakova, Radvan Bahbouh, Mona Vintilă, Fernando Tonini, Stefan Stieger, Oli Ahmed, Jennifer Corrigan, Neena Kohli, Sandesh Dhakal, Garry Kuan, Tosin Tunrayo Olonisakin, Marwan Akel, Martin Voracek, Passagorn Tevichapong, Vishnunarayan Girishan Prabhu, Magdalena Zawisza, Yoko Sawamiya, David Barron, Mandar Manjary, Magdalena Razmus, Yee Cheng Kueh, Joana Neto, Chin‐Lung Chien, Jose Vidal-Mollón, Marie-Ève Blackburn, Pankaj Kumar Tripathi, Siu-Kuen Ng, Gyöngyvér Gyene, Yuko Yamamiya, Camila Oda-Montecinos, David A. Frederick, Taryn A. Myers, Peter O. Olapegba, Isabel Krug, Jakob Pietschnig, Lionel Dany, Sonia Harzallah Debbabi, Maya Miyairi, Rumana Ferdousi Siddique, Marios Argyrides, Hyxia Villegas, Justyna Modrzejewska, Hussam Al Halbusi, Andrea Ballesio, Mary Anne Lauri, Juan Camilo Tovar-Castro, Veljko Jovanović, Ashleigh Bellard, Ding–Yu Jiang, Andrea Lukács, Salam Khatib, A. Mechri, Edmunds Vanags, Alessandra Costa Pereira Junqueira, Victoria Wai Lan Yeung, Adriana Modrzejewska, Toivo Aavik, Mehmet Eskin, Joanna Borowiec, Muhammad Mainuddin Patwary, Lise Katrine Jepsen Trangsrud, Paul H. P. Hanel, Marcelo Callegari Zanetti, Michael Schulte‐Mecklenbeck, Vipul Kumar, Małgorzata Lipowska, Luis Diego Vega, Ulrich S. Tran, Caterina Grano, Jonathan E. Handelzalts, Ana Šimunić, Ayşe Nur Karkın, Wanderson Roberto da Silva, Omar Kujan, Michał Folwarczny, Bovornpot Choompunuch, Issa Hekmati, Marija Jović, Jesus Alfonso D. Datu, Souheil R. Hallit, Kerim Selvi, Aituar Kospakov, Veya Seekis, Pavol Prokop, Pablo Camacho Lazarraga, Emilio Juan Compte, Nadezhda Petrova, Juliana Fernandes Filgueiras Meireles, Solfrid Bratland‐Sanda, Miljana Kukić, Eric Kenson Yau, Brynja Örlygsdóttir, Amanda Nerini, Reza N. Sahlan, Otilia Tudorel, Anita Shrivastava, Stephen Lawrence Atkin, Zahir Vally, Jorunn Sundgot‐Borgen, Micaela Jiménez‐Borja, Gabriel Lins de Holanda Coelho, Caterina Lombardo, Gorana Birovljević, Norbert Meskó, Martha Martínez-Banfi, Qingwei Chen, Valdimar Sigurðsson, Nishtha Lamba, Jacob Owusu Sarfo, Pedro Henrique Berbert de Carvalho, Sóley S. Bender, Erich Kasten, Richard Gregory Cowden, Marko Jović, Tobias Otterbring, Ahmet Karakiraz, Stacey M. Donofrio, Marta Ghisi, Constantinos Togas, Sara Álvarez Solas, Violeta Enea, Sonny Andrianto, Ana Carolina Soares Amaral, Magdalena Król-Zielińska, Christoph Wallner, Vineta Silkāne, Motasem Hamdan, Sanjay Kumar, Lorleen Farrugia, Salma Samir Omar, Arun Tipandjan, Mohammad Zakaria Nassani, George Alexias, Sulaiman Olanrewaju Adebayo, Hamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar, Roosevelt Vilar, Nadine Zeeni, Litza Kiropoulos, Shulamit Geller, Sadaf Pourmahmoud, Barnaby Dixson, Katrin Schæfer, Anna Brytek‐Matera, Kerime Derya Beydağ, Anas B. Alsalhani, Maria Fernanda Laus, Başak İnce, Tatiana Pethö, Sylvie Graf, Olasupo Augustine Ijabadeniyi, Getrude Cosmas, Phatthanakit Chobthamkit, Marius Drysch, Patricia Joseph Kimong, Claire El-Jor, Geraldine Holenweger, Rasa Jankauskienė, Sarah Gradidge, María Ángeles Gómez Martínez, Donka Dimitrova, Leonie Fian, Farah Hina, Nuannut Khieowan, Joshua Knittel, Mirjam Koprivnik, Nursel Alp-Dal, Anđela Šalov, Yeliz Çakır-Koçak, Vittorio Emanuele Camilleri, Avila Odia S. De Jesus, Xin Chen, Hongfei Du, Angela Noguiera Neves, Saphal Sapkota, Jennifer Todd, Tetiana Hill, Ritu Modi, Vita Poštuvan, Liza April LeBlanc, Khawla F. Ali, Lisa-Marie Kahle, Virginia L. Ramseyer Winter, Mohammad Salah Hassan, Asma Imam, Francesca Di Bernardo, G. Singh
article en
16 citations

Abstract

Abstract Objectives The 12-item Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS–SF) is a widely used instrument for the assessment of self-compassion. To date, there have been few examinations of this instrument’s psychometric properties, particularly across nations and languages. Therefore, we used data from the Body Image in Nature Survey (BINS) to assess measurement invariance of the SCS–SF across nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups. Methods Participants ( N = 56,968) from 65 nations completed the SCS–SF in 40 languages. Using these data, we tested various hypothesised models of the SCS–SF in the total sample and, using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, tested for invariance of the optimal model across national groups, languages, gender identities, and age groups. Results In the total dataset, we found that an 11-item, 2-factor model (i.e., SCS-11) provided best fit to the data, with the two factors tapping distinct constructs of compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding. The SCS-11 was found to be partially scalar invariant across national groups and languages, and fully scalar invariant across gender identities and age groups. There was wide variation in latent means for the two factors, particularly across national groups and languages. Further analyses showed negligible associations between the two factors and sociodemographic variables, including marital status, financial security, and urbanicity. Conclusions Our results suggest that it may be possible to derive a stable 2-factor model of the SCS–SF for use in cross-cultural research, but also highlight the likelihood of cross-national and cross-linguistic variations in the way that self-compassion is understood.

MindfulnessVol. 16(6)
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