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Cited by 307Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPsychometric Methodologies and TestingAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Validation of the Spanish versions of the long (26 items) and short (12 items) forms of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS)

Open access
Garcia-Campayo, Javier, Navarro-Gil, Mayte, Andrés, Eva, Montero-Marin, Jesús, López-Artal, Lorena, Demarzo, Marcelo Marcos·2014·Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
DOI 10.1186/1477-7525-12-4PMC PMC3896764
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-compassion is a key psychological construct for assessing clinical outcomes in mindfulness-based interventions. The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish versions of the long (26 item) and short (12 item) forms of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). METHODS: The translated Spanish versions of both subscales were administered to two independent samples: Sample 1 was comprised of university students (n = 268) who were recruited to validate the long form, and Sample 2 was comprised of Aragon Health Service workers (n = 271) who were recruited to validate the short form. In addition to SCS, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait (STAI-T), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) were administered. Construct validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent validity were tested. RESULTS: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) of the long and short forms of the SCS confirmed the original six-factor model in both scales, showing goodness of fit. Cronbach's α for the 26 item SCS was 0.87 (95% CI = 0.85-0.90) and ranged between 0.72 and 0.79 for the 6 subscales. Cronbach's α for the 12-item SCS was 0.85 (95% CI = 0.81-0.88) and ranged between 0.71 and 0.77 for the 6 subscales. The long (26-item) form of the SCS showed a test-retest coefficient of 0.92 (95% CI = 0.89-0.94). The Intraclass Correlation (ICC) for the 6 subscales ranged from 0.84 to 0.93. The short (12-item) form of the SCS showed a test-retest coefficient of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.87-0.93). The ICC for the 6 subscales ranged from 0.79 to 0.91. The long and short forms of the SCS exhibited a significant negative correlation with the BDI, the STAI and the PSQ, and a significant positive correlation with the MAAS. The correlation between the total score of the long and short SCS form was r = 0.92. CONCLUSION: The Spanish versions of the long (26-item) and short (12-item) forms of the SCS are valid and reliable instruments for the evaluation of self-compassion among the general population. These results substantiate the use of this scale in research and clinical practice.

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  • The SCS demonstrated good internal consistency in Chinese and Western population groups, and its Cronbach's alpha in this study was 0.85 overall (0.76 to 0.83 for subscales).

    “The SCS demonstrated good internal consistencies in both Chinese (α = 0.84) [54] and Western population groups (α = 0.66 to 0.91) [55,56,57] (Cronbach’s α in this study = 0.85 for the overall SCS, 0.76 to 0.83 for the SCS subscales) [58].”

    From Roles of Parental Psychological Flexibility, Self-Compassion, and Self-Efficacy in Affecting Mental Health and Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Eczema (2023) · cites this paper as [56]

    The Results (Internal consistency and test-retest reliability) report an overall Cronbach’s α of 0.85 for the Spanish 12-item SCS, but its subscale values are 0.71–0.77, not 0.76–0.83. The paper does not establish the cited sentence’s Chinese-population figure; that figure is attached to a different citation. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Most published studies in various countries replicated the SCS-SF structure proposed by Raes et al. and showed good properties of the scale.

    “Większość zdotychczas opublikowanych badań prowadzonych wróżnych krajach zreplikowała strukturę SCS-SF zaproponowaną przez Raesa iwsp. [11] iwykazała dobre właściwości skali [30-32].”

    From The Polish adaptation of the Self-Compassion Scale Short Form (2024) · cites this paper as [31]

    The Discussion reports that the Spanish short-form results were largely consistent with earlier studies: the six-factor model fit adequately, and the scale showed strong reliability. It mentions earlier English and Dutch versions, but does not establish that most published studies across countries replicated the structure. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The Spanish version of the SCS-SF shows good internal consistency (α = 0.86).

    “The Spanish version of the SCS-SF shows good internal consistency (α = 0.86) [22].”

    From Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy for Reducing Anxiety and Depression in Fibromyalgia (2022) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Results section (Internal consistency and test-retest reliability; page not provided) describes high internal consistency for the Spanish 12-item SCS, but reports Cronbach’s α as 0.85, not 0.86. (LLM, conf=0.91)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The Self-compassion Scale has adequate psychometric properties.

    “The psychometric properties of the instrument are adequate (22) .”

    From Mindfulness y duelo: programa MADED, mindfulness para la aceptación del dolor, las emociones y el duelo (2020) · cites this paper as [22]

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Baer RA Williams JMG, Kabat-Zinn J Measuring mindfulness Mindfulness. Diverse perspectives of its meaning, origins and applications 2013 London: Routledge 241 261
  2. Kline RB Kenny DA Principles and practices of structural equation modelling Methodology in the social sciences 1998 New York: The Guilford Press

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Authors
Garcia-Campayo, J., Navarro-Gil, M., Andrés, E., Montero-Marin, J., López-Artal, L., & Demarzo, M. M.
Affiliations
  • Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa (ES)
  • Universidade Federal de São Paulo (BR)
ORCID
Demarzo, Marcelo Marcos
Venue
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2014
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
4
ISSN
1477-7525 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1477-7525-12-4
PMC
PMC3896764
OpenAlex
W2128048948
Cited by
306
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 2
FWCI
14.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Health and Quality of Life Outcomes (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Americanae (AECID Library) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
  • Ciência sem Fronteiras
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
self-compassion, Self-Compassion Scale, Spanish translation, scale validation, short-form questionnaire, mindfulness, construct validity, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, healthcare workers, university students, depression, anxiety, perceived stress, mindfulness-based interventions, psychometric properties, factor structure, cross-cultural adaptation, Catalonia, Andalusia
MeSH terms
Anxiety, Awareness, Depression, Empathy, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychological Tests, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self Concept, Spain, Reproducibility of Results, Young Adult

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