Psychometric Properties of the Self-Compassion Scale in the Polish Population

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to adapt the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003) into Polish, to examine its validity and reliability, and to determine population norms for this tool. The study involved 604 adults (aged 18–85 years, 278 women and 326 men), constituting a representative sample of the Polish population in terms of gender, age, and place of residence. The adaptation procedure was carried out according to the rules of translation, demonstrating the fidelity of the translation of the original version of the questionnaire. The reliability of the measurement was tested using Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency method and test–retest method. The validity was assessed by analyzing correlation coefficients between SCS scores and the intensity of mindfulness (understood as a trait), resilience, empathic sensitivity with its subscales of perspective taking, personal distress and emphatic concern, and the level of depression and anxiety. Measurement stability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients applied to two consecutive measurements. The factor structure was verified using confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed that the SCS in the Polish version has good psychometric properties, and the emerged factor structure indicates that the best fit and specification had a model with two general factors of CS (compassionate self-responding) and RUS (reduced uncompassionate self-responding) and three specific factors: self-kindness, shared humanity, and mindfulness.