The Development and Evaluation of a Compassion Scale

Abstract

Compassion is the capacity for being moved by the suffering of others and wanting to help alleviate it. Compassion may mediate the health benefits and hazards of social networks and relationships. The monitoring and management of the level of compassion across social networks and relationships may be critical to the preservation of the health benefits and the prevention of the health hazards of social networks and relationships. We developed a 10-item self-report measure of compassion and evaluated its psychometric properties among 310 respondents drawn from the University and its surrounding communities. The mean total score was 3.62 (SD=1.09). The item-to-total correlations ranged from 0.50-0.71. The mean inter-item correlation was 0.33. The internal consistency was 0.82. The scale correlated well with the Sprecher and Fehr's Compassionate Love Scale (r=0.66; p=.000). Two method factors measuring the same construct explained 57% of the variance in the sample. The scale is user-friendly, easy to score, and characterized by good psychometric properties. It can be used to foster the understanding of the impact of the level of compassion on disease occurrence and outcomes across social networks and relationships.

The Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development for Well-Being in Organizations

“…A lot of research and interventions based on positive psychology are available to improve leadership skills and human resources management for managers in 21st century organizations. For example, from emotional intelligence ( Petrides and Furnham, 2001 ; Di Fabio and Saklofske, 2014a , b ; Di Fabio et al, 2016b ) to empathy ( Davis, 1980 ; Di Fabio, 2014b ; Di Fabio and Bucci, 2016 ), compassion ( Martins et al, 2013 ), and self-compassion ( Neff, 2003 ); from positive capital ( Luthans et al, 2007 ) to intrapreneurial self-capital ( Di Fabio, 2014a ) as a core of individual intrapreneurial resources to deal with frequent changes and transitions and to turn constraints into resources, to acceptance of change ( Di Fabio and Gori, 2016b ) as positive for a person’s well-being from positive relational management ( Di Fabio, 2016b ) to workplace relational civility ( Di Fabio and Gori, 2016a ) as a relational style characterized by respect and concern for the self and others, and by interpersonal sensitivity (relational decency, relational culture, and relational readiness), to decent leadership ( Di Fabio, in press ); from reflexivity in its dimensions of clarity/projectuality, authenticity, and acquiescence ( Di Fabio, 2015 , 2016a ) to the meaning of work and life ( Bernaud, 2015 ; Di Fabio and Blustein, 2016 ). New research and intervention are needed to better explore and understand these issues.…”

An empirical examination of the factor structure of compassion

“…Although nine compassion measures were identified in Strauss et al’s [ 1 ] review, only items from the following four measures were included in this consultation: the compassionate love scale (CLS) [ 40 ], Pommier’s [ 39 ] compassion scale (CS-P), relational compassion scale (RCS) [ 41 ], and Martins et al’s [ 42 ] compassion scale (CS-M). Excluded from the consultation were the Santa Clara brief compassion scale (SCBCS) [ 43 ], compassionate care assessment tool (CCAT) [ 44 ], Schwartz Center compassionate care scale (SCCCS) [ 45 ], self-compassion scale (SCS) [ 36 ], and short form of the self-compassion scale (SCS-SF) [ 46 ].…”

Implementation Models of Compassionate Communities and Compassionate Cities at the End of Life: A Systematic Review

“…Martins et al [ 36 ] propose a scale tested on 310 professionals that can be used to promote understanding about the impact of the compassion level in the disease, in interpersonal relationship and in the community. The scale consists of 5 elements and 10 items—Generosity (4 items), Hospitality (2 items), Objectivity (2 items), Sensitivity (1 item) and Tolerance (1 item)—that are associated with the elements of compassion.…”