Is Self-Compassion Universal? Support for the Measurement Invariance of the Self-Compassion Scale Across Populations

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is widely used to measure self-compassion.
• Previous research implicitly assumed the SCS functions similarly across diverse groups.
• Measurement invariance testing is crucial to confirm the SCS's validity across populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically examine the generalizability of the bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) operationalization of the SCS.
• To test for measurement invariance of the SCS across diverse populations varying in student/community status, gender, age, and language.
• To ascertain the psychometric equivalence of the SCS across different demographic groups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized secondary data from 18 samples across 12 languages (N = 10,997).
• Conducted multigroup analyses to test measurement invariance.
• Examined configural, weak, strong, strict, and latent variance-covariance invariance.

Main Results:

• Found evidence supporting the configural, weak, strong, strict, and latent variance-covariance invariance of the bifactor ESEM SCS.
• Demonstrated that the SCS is psychometrically equivalent across diverse groups.
• Latent mean invariance analyses revealed significant differences in self-compassion levels between groups.

Conclusions:

• The bifactor ESEM operationalization of the SCS demonstrates strong measurement invariance.
• The SCS provides a psychometrically sound and equivalent measure of self-compassion across various demographic groups.
• While the scale is invariant, actual self-compassion levels differ across populations, highlighting the need for nuanced interpretation.