Psychometric Properties of the Polish Version of the Self-Compassion—Youth Scale in a Sample of Adolescents

Research suggests that self-compassion plays a protective role in adolescence, helping young people cope with emotional challenges. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish adaptation of the Self-Compassion Scale for Youth (SCS-Y-PL) by Neff among non-clinical samples of adolescents. To assess factor structure, data were collected from 415 Polish primary school students (50.8% males, aged 10–16 years). Test–retest reliability was measured 3 weeks later among 72 students (17.3% from initial sample). Theoretical validity of the SCS-Y-PL was evaluated using measures of personality, self-esteem, positive youth development, life satisfaction, depressiveness, and social support. The results of confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modelling confirm the six-component structure of the SCS-Y-PL and borderline goodness-of-fit of the two-factor structure. Both the composite reliability index and Cronbach's α values confirmed the scale's reliability. The six-component structure of the SCS-Y-PL demonstrated strong stability. The theoretical validity analysis indicated low correlations that aligned with expectations for the majority of the selected scales. The Polish adaptation of the SCS-Y-PL has good psychometric properties. The findings support the theoretical six-factor structure of the scale and its relevance for assessing self-compassion in adolescence, making an important contribution to youth research and practice. This study was not preregistered.