ObjectivesSelf-compassion allows one to accept themselves, lower self-criticism and self-judgement and view one's failures and setbacks in a balanced way. Self-compassion in adolescents is an important protective factor against mental distress. However, it is subject to gender and cultural influences. In light of the paucity of self-compassion scales in adolescents, it is crucial to explore measurement invariance of self-compassion measures in adolescents across cultures for its future clinical application in measuring the outcome of compassion-based interventions. The current study validated the Self-Compassion Scale for Youth (SCS-Y) in a large cross-cultural sample.
MethodA community sample of 2881 of adolescents aged 12-18 years across Hong Kong, China and the UK were recruited through the online platform Qualtrics. Psychometric properties of the SCS-Y were examined including its reliability and concurrent validity, and a Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause (MIMIC) model was adopted to test measurement invariance of the SCS-Y while differential item functioning (DIF) was checked across gender and countries.
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ResultsExamination of the SCS-Y revealed good psychometric properties including a high reliability, discriminant validity and concurrent validity with SCS. A MIMIC model yielded good model fit for a hypothetical 6-factor model fit (CFI = 0.980; TLI = 0.974; RMSEA = 0.038). Two items were detected for DIF across country.
ConclusionThe study established good psychometric properties for SCS-Y including measurement invariance across gender and country. This analysis prepares the SCS-Y for subsequent evaluation of compassion-focused therapy for young people across cultures.
PreregistrationThis study was not pre-registered.Adolescence is a transitional period during which individuals gain independence, peer acceptance, and autonomy. Meanwhile, they may encounter personal difficulties that may develop into emotional challenges and mental health risks (Kazdin, 1993). Stressors, such as academic performance, social pressures, self-consciousness about their physical image, peer relationships and acceptance, physical appearance, or sexual attractiveness (Neff & McGehee, 2010;Zhang et al., 2013), increase adolescents' risk for depressive symptoms.
Specifically, the prevalence of depressive symptoms among adolescents in China and HongKong is as high as 24.3% and 21%, respectively (Stewart et al., 2004;Tang et al., 2019), which is comparable to that in Western countries (20%) (Eapen & Crncec, 2012;Ng & Hurry, 2011), suggesting that adolescent depression is universal and severe.The benefits of self-compassion in managing and treating mental distress have garnered much interest recently. Self-compassion is an important component of compassionfocused therapy (Gilbert, 2014). It allows one to accept themself, lower self-criticism and self-judgment, and view their failures and setbacks with balanced judgment (Neff & McGehee, 2010). It supports parsimonious self-regulation in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral domains in in...