Measuring Compassion Toward Others: Dimensionality of the Compassion Scale in Community Adolescents and in Adolescents With Behavioral Disorders

Rúben Sousa, Marlene Paulo, Nélio Brazão, Paula Castilho, Daniel Rijo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Compassion toward others has been defined as the sensitivity to the suffering of others with the genuine commitment to relieve/prevent it. The Compassion Scale (CS) measures this construct and despite its relevance during adolescence, studies have been mostly conducted with adults. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Compassion Scale-Adolescents (CS-A) in community adolescents (n = 658; 409 girls) and in boys with behavioral disorders (n = 183), from 14 to 18 years old. Results showed the adequacy of a hierarchical-CFA measurement model, with a general score of compassion and four specific factors (i.e., Kindness, Common Humanity, Mindfulness and Indifference). Measurement invariance was tested across samples. Community girls presented higher levels of compassion when compared to boys. Also, behaviorally disturbed boys presented decreased levels of compassion when compared to community boys. Evidence for reliability and construct validity is also provided. The CS-A allows future research between genders in community adolescents. Additionally, future research exploring compassion using the CS-A, between community boys and samples of behaviorally disturbed boys, is now possible.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)631-642
Number of pages12
JournalPsychological Assessment
Volume34
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. American Psychological Association

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Compassion toward others
  • Measurement invariance
  • Multigroup analyses
  • Psychometric analyses

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